Backyard Summer Lovin'
by Eletha Landon
Summary: I hated him. I stalked him. I got to know him. I fell for him: When Derek Souza moves in next door and makes a bad first impression on his new neighbor Chloe Saunders, how is it that, after her father hires him for a bit of yard work, that he becomes the obsession of the movie fanatic and her complex personality? T for language. AU- no powers. Read and Review!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note- I know I have been MIA for quite a while. After all, I had started this story last year with the intentions of making it a summer story. However, most of you know my string of excuses. But, I'm happy to say that I am comfortably settled in the military and should have more time to write. I just need to find the motivation. So, I went through this story and edited it as well as added a new chapter. I'd advise re-reading just to get the feel of the story again. **

**Again, I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- Uh- *Sighs* Nope. **

**Backyard Summer Lovin'**

**Alasyn of Crimson Amethyst**

**Prologue **

My enjoyment of Captain Crunch and OJ was abruptly interrupted by a sharp rap on the front door. Spoon halfway to my awaiting mouth; I glanced over at Dad, figuring that this was a rare occasion for him to be home so long, I felt as if he was obligated to answer the door for once. When he looked at me expectantly over the top of his morning paper, I sighed, dropped my spoon into the burgundy bowl that held my longing of sugary goodness and pushed my chair away from the table with a nasty screech across the linoleum floor.

Clad in my girly boxers and black wife beater, I trudged to the door. It was barely seven in the morning, my dad was home for at least four more hours, it was summer, my vacation; God forbid that whatever sale or package couldn't possibly wait for a better time to invade on my life? This was bound to be a waste of a good three and a half minutes of my precious time.

Muttering to myself, I turned the brass knob of the front door, swung it open and opened my mouth to release a very rude, "What," on the intruder.

However, my word screeched to a halt in my throat and my knees buckled, my chest seized and I could feel my flesh burn, no doubt turning a very attractive tomato red. My eyes definitely bugged and I was sure I squeaked as my brain registered exactly _who_ it was at the door.

Then I did the stupidest thing imaginable. Without even thinking, I shrieked. While doing my best to hold it in my throat, the sound came out as if produced by a wild cat being strangled. Then I flung the door shut. I whipped around, throwing my back against the door as if that would keep him outside and out of my sight forever- as much as I didn't want that, but, at this point, I was acting irrationally. My breathing pitched a notch in overdrive and my heart stammered so hard I could feel the rocketing motion down in my toes. The entryway swayed and it took me a moment after shoving his very confused- very intense- eyes out of my head to realize that I was shaking, hard.

"Chloe, who's at the door," Dad called from the kitchen. His voice slammed reality into me and I mentally slapped myself for what I had just done. In front of _him_ of all people.

"Chloe?" Dad asked, sounding concerned. His paper ruffled, as if he set it down and he was getting up from the table. I quickly called back to him, not wanting him to see me in this state.

"J-Just Derek, Dad."

That's right. I had just freaked and slammed the door on Derek Souza.

Great.

**I'm trying to cut out a little more of the cussing, seeing as how that isn't really Chloe's character. However, she's pretty rough around the edges, considering how she grew up. You'll see as the story progresses.**

**:) **


	2. The Dark Side

**Authors Note- Edit of Chapter 2. :)**

**Enjoy and devour, hungry readers!**

**The Dark Side**

The Bae family was expected to move into the suburban, Buffalo neighborhood any day now. Being such a tightly bound and connected community, the newcomers were the greatest piece of gossip since Lyle house- a group home for troubled teens down the street; creepy by mention- had shut down nearly a year before. The approach of summer brought about the neighborhood Committee's consistent preparations in welcoming the family into its uptight circle.

I, on the other hand, thought that all of the hoopla was a waste of time and that the Committee was bound to scare the new neighbors away.

However, my opinion in the matter wasn't really valuable or valid. No one cared what the Saunders thought or had to contribute to the neighborhood community and frankly, I could care less. Dad wasn't around enough to complain or protest about it, showing how much he cared about what the Committee did and the rules they conducted; which we've been breaking for a good eleven years now. You'd think the Committee would understand our hesitance- or reluctance as they like to perceive it- considering that Jennifer Saunders used to be the head of the Committee before the accident. Regrettably, after Mom died, my father and I became outsiders to the community. But, by the way things have been running since Mom died, we were pretty content sitting outside the radar.

This is aside from the point. I had long since severed my ties with my neighborhood posse since they were being raised to desire a snobby, stick-up-the-ass way of living. Rae and Nate were like a distant memory. Kari soon followed as well as Brady and Peter. With my mother gone and my father always away at work- my only other relative was caught up with work at a hospital in Albany- I was often left alone to my thoughts and movie- girl desires. It was in these times of fending for myself, on the latest days of my junior year in high school, that I heard the rumors working their way around about the new neighbors.

A single father, a daughter, a son and a foster son, all around my age was all I could pick up, excluding their names. But I was more mesmerized by how the Committee could gather so much information about people they didn't know than the actual appearance of new people. Honestly, I wasn't that interested. Like all other newcomers, the Bae family was bound to be prey for the Committee, if not, like I mentioned earlier, frightened away by their prompt, pompous personalities.

I was drifting between sleep and reality, dreaming of my future in screenwriting when a disrupting- and fairly obnoxious, might I add- beeping jolted me from the comfort of my sheets and my mattress, landing me on the cold, hardwood floor.

"Ow," I whimpered, rubbing my hip and disentangling myself from my covers that were wound so tightly around my legs and torso from yet another restless night. I reached for the alarm clock on my nightstand, dazed, confused and so sure that I had shut down the annoying device two days ago on the last day of school. Sure enough, the evil little machine wasn't making that horrid sound. The sight of the bright red, brick numbers, however, didn't put me at any ease.

7:34

Mumbling to myself like some psycho, schizophrenic person, I pulled myself off the floor and searched my surroundings for the creator of the noise that jogged me from my valuable sleep. I sighed, finding the answer at my window as a large U-Haul pulled backwards into the driveway of the house parallel to mine. I couldn't see much of the vehicle, considering the back of the house was facing my room- also at the back of _my_ house. Our backyards were simply cut off by an old, breaking wooden fence, but the truck was big enough to be seen as it didn't fit entirely into the driveway that lay across the front patio instead of perpendicular to it. The neighborhood houses were all the same only in a variety of color. Two- story, one- car garage, small front lawn, and spacious backyards.

This is where the Committee believed the rules fit in. Lawns must be crisp, cut and fresh, flowers, trees, glamour, blah, blah, blah; my house wasn't. Compared to the neighbors just moving in across from my father and myself, our house would be better suited for a junkyard. There were reasons for this I rather not delve into. Instead, I cursed the new neighbors for their obvious morning- person diseases- I mean, who wants to move anywhere at seven in the morning- and trudged downstairs for some breakfast, since it was apparent that I wouldn't be getting back to sleep this beautiful and annoying Sunday morning.

On my way into the kitchen I couldn't help thinking about what my father would say or do if he were here this morning. Dad is around every two to three weeks; in time to pick up enough groceries to hold me over until he gets back and to check on the household. Possibly making sure I didn't set the place on fire. I used to have a caretaker- or nanny, whatever- but I had finally convinced him that I was seventeen and could take care of myself. He was reluctant, considering the approach of summer, but he finally caved- half distracted by a call announcing his next business trip. He was scheduled to be back tonight or early the next morning and I was unsure on his feelings towards the Bae family moving in next door. I doubted he had much concern or interest-

"Morning, kiddo!"

"Gah," I shrieked, jumping back into the entryway through the kitchen door. I gave my heart a second to restart before swinging back into the kitchen, giving my father a well-deserved glare. He was chuckling to himself at the dining room table.

_I guess his plane landed early._

"Hun, you're as skittish as a cat," he joked.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be in the house," I said, exasperated. "You're early."

"I took an earlier plane," Dad said simply.

_Close enough._

"Good thing too," he added quickly. He glanced out the adjourning sliding glass door that lead from the dining room to the backyard. No doubt he was observing our neighboring house. "Looks like our new neighbors are early birds."

"Or crazies," I muttered under my breath. I stalked over to the fridge and grabbed a carton of milk. The dairy beverage was soon followed by Captain Crunch and a large apple. I sat down across from my father at the table.

"I was thinking we could- well, maybe we could welcome them into the neighborhood," Dad announced hesitantly. I took a hearty mouthful of cereal and studied my father for a moment.

"That sounds like something the Committee would do."

"We can get to them before the Committee does," Dad said mischievously and gave me a wink.

"You've never really wanted to welcome any other neighbors before," I pointed out. It was true. Dad never even cared to acknowledge them before. And now, he simply wanted to waltz over there and greet them, introduce ourselves as their neighbors, create friendly bounds with them in that opportunity- on top of him being home early. Something was up.

"Well, no one has ever moved in directly adjacent to us."

"Probably because the Committee got a hold of them ahead of time and told them we were on the dark side," I sneered, mouth full of cereal. Dad gave me a pointed look.

"I doubt they do that, Chloe."

"I don't."

Dad sighed and shook his head. The man wasn't really used to my movie- crazed antics. Star Wars, not the best, but a great indication of what the Committee thought of us. The dark side had a nice ring to it anyways. So yes, let's just go and welcome those new neighbors. Let's invite them over for barbecues and bribe them over to the dark side with cookies.

"Look," Dad interrupted my mock sense of living and master plot to create an army of clones against the Committee. "I've become painfully aware of our curb appeal-"

"You're worried about curb appeal," I snorted, though, it wasn't really a funny matter. Dad hasn't put any effort into curb appeal since Mom died.

"Having new and close neighbors; yes I have. We aren't slobs, Chloe. Besides, I think the backyard needs to be rejuvenated."

I looked out the glass door at the yard myself. Like I said, my dad and I could run a perfect junkyard company. The grass was long overdue for a good cut, while some areas began to yellow and decay into pitiful patches of dirt. The two lone trees near the back gate as well as the hedges against the house were in need of trimming while the hammock tied between the trees could use a nice replacement. The shed could use an ultimate house makeover and the garden was just a pile of dirt and weeds. There was a broken garden gnome, its pieces scattered through the lawn and an outdated lawn mower sitting close to the shed. I sighed as I took it in.

"Mom wouldn't like what we've done with her yard," I whispered. I was sure it was too quiet and my father didn't hear it. And I didn't want him to.

"Anyways," my father continued, proving my suspicions that he's heard nothing. "Based on our outer appearance, I don't want our neighbors to think that we are aloof and unfriendly."

"But we are," I stated. We were friendly enough, just not with the Committee.

"Well, I want to take this opportunity to start fresh. Not everyone has to be a part of the Committee."

"And what if they are?"

"Then, at least we know we tried," Dad said. "Hurry up and get dressed, Chloe. We'll go see if they need any help moving in."

I swallowed a rough mouth full of Captain Crunch and stared disbelievingly at my father. Surely, this was a different man who boarded the plane this morning and my real Dad would be home later tonight, as was expected.

Whatever was internally going on with him, I couldn't help thinking that whatever revelation or epiphany he had since the last time I saw him was going cause a lot of problems. Beginning with this notion he's got that we can possibly be a temporary moving crew and become friendly with our new neighbors.

_This is such a bad idea._

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes and a lot of arguing later, Dad and I were rounding the corner of Constance Avenue and making our merry way to our neighboring house. Well, my father was. I was simply sulking a few feet behind. As we got closer to the U-Haul pulled into the driveway I could see an older man being handed boxes by a hidden figure inside the truck. The man looked to be Asian with dark hair and a slender build. I assumed he was Mr. Bae.<p>

Mr. Bae turned away from the U-Haul, box in hand, only to be greeted just in time by a smaller version of himself. The boy bound right onto the patio and relieved Mr. Bae of the box. The only difference in appearance between the two was that the younger guy had golden blonde hair styled in a dissare of spikes that framed his high cheek bones. Otherwise, their features, eyes and smiles were the same. Vivacious, lively and mischievous.

"Where is-" Mr. Bae started as he handed who I supposed to be his son the box, but the blonde quickly interrupted him.

"Filtering through the rooms," he said with a roll of his eyes. "She's already calling dibs on the only other room with a bathroom aside from the master." Mr. Bae nodded in understanding as if he expected this.

"Typical Tori," a deep voice added, the sound coming from the occupant of the U-Haul instead of the two Asians on the ramp. The tone vibrated in the atmosphere with a low, dull ring of sarcasm. I could only imagine, considering the familiarity at which the invisible speaker tuned, that the voice belonged to the foster son, which meant the girl they spoke of- Tori- was the Bae daughter.

"Introduction- check," I noted to my father, drawing a sharp check mark in the air with my index finger before turning on my heel back to the house. "That was nice, can we go home now?"

Dad grabbed my shoulder and spun me back to the U-Haul.

"Nice try." I sighed.

"Hello there," Dad called out, dragging me along the rest of the way to the oversized truck. Something- intuition maybe- told me that most of whatever was in there belonged to this Tori- chick. Dad's greeting caught Mr. Bae's attention as well as his son and they both turned our way, similar crooked smiles tugging at their lips.

"Hello," Mr. Bae called back. "Neighbors, I presume," he added, holding out a hand as my father approached him. Dad took it firmly.

"Yes. We live right behind you, actually."

"Nice yard," announced a female voice coming from the patio. A slender girl with dark pixie-like hair stepped through the threshold of the Bae's house and I knew this was Tori. She had this smugness about her as if she knew how to hold her own. And I didn't doubt that. Living with three guys, she was sure to know how to take care of herself. However, it was the mocking in her eyes, held by her previous comment about my yard that made me uncomfortable and almost angry. I knew I shouldn't care if she judged, because the Committee did that all the time, but I did.

"Yes, well, it needs some work," my father said sheepishly. I stayed silent.

"Ignore her," the blonde boy said flippantly, waving his hand as if he could brush the girl away. Tori glared at the back of his head. "It's refreshing. Everything here is so clean. You're yard has-" He struggled for a word and I knew he was just trying to be more polite than his sister. "-pizazz."

"Excuse my teenagers," Mr. Bae chuckled. "They forgot their manners and skipped right past the step of introducing themselves. I'm Christopher Bae, but, I go by Kit-" With the hand he had held out to my father, Kit gestured towards his son, "-and this is my son, Simon Bae. My daughter, Victoria Bae-"

_Called it. Total queen material._

"-and my son, Derek Souza," Kit finished, nodding towards the U-Haul. Before I had a chance to glance up- being as short as I was and merely five feet away from the vehicle, the ramp was about as tall as my shoulders- I was overcome by a hulking shadow, immediately rendered miniscule and inferior. I quickly snapped my gaze up the ramp as Kit's foster son stepped from the opening of the U-Haul and leaned against the side of the truck, arms crossed over his chest.

His rather large arms over his rather large chest.

I was minorly curious- more like instantly captivated while desperately trying to hide it- by how Derek looked nothing like his family. Which, in retrospect, made perfect sense as he was the foster of the family. However, that wasn't the point. The point was that- Well, Derek looked-

I swallowed roughly.

The guy was built and built very nicely. Taller and sturdier than his brother, definitely, and his clothing was somewhat bland compared to Simon's name brands. But, it fit him. I mean, it _really_ fit him. His black t-shirt hugged the planes of his torso and chest gloriously and defined the way his arms flexed in their crossed position and-

I blushed furiously and removed my gaze from his body, surprised with myself for ogling. Unfortunately, purposefully finding something else to look at had been a mistake. I simply did what I instinctively do when I meet people- and I'm embarrassed to admit that I hadn't done this in the first place- but now, I looked at his face. I noticed him nod towards my father in greeting, mesmerized by the sharp, distinctive outline of his jaw and the way his short, jet black hair framed his features. But that wasn't what had caused my breath to slam on its breaks in my throat.

It was his eyes.

From what I could see, his black hair brought out the variety and vibrancies in the colors of his eyes that I was momentarily confused as to what color they were. But, once he finished saluting my father, his eyes met mine and I was introduced by such an intense green stare that it made my head spin.

There was something disturbingly pleasant behind how cold and distant his jade orbs met mine in that simple look of acknowledgment. Somehow, thinking this inspired and perplexed me.

_Why do I care?_

"It's great to meet all of you," Dad said, his voice distant at first, then louder as it pulled me back into the moment at which we were merely meeting the Bae family. "I'm Steve Saunders and this is my daughter, Chloe. We wanted to stop by and see if you guys needed any help getting situated."

Dad said this and Derek's gaze snapped in his direction. Then it moved back to me, eyes roaming over my body quickly as if he were seeing me for the first time, or simply assessing if I had what it took to actually help them, which, I knew I didn't. Then he looked at my father again. By the expression on his face, I had a feeling that he was thinking the same thing I was thinking.

_Please say no._

I still stupidly felt irked by the fact that Derek quickly judged if I was capable. It was enough that I didn't think all that highly of myself, I didn't need someone to agree with me.

"It would seem rude to refuse such an offer now wouldn't it," Kit smiled. Simon chirped in an enthusiastic, "That would be great," while Tori muttered something along the lines of, "Less work for me," and waltzed back into the house. Derek, on the other hand, didn't look all that grateful which strangely angered me. I suddenly felt determined to prove that I was good enough to lift a few heavy boxes and feign from breaking any lamps.

* * *

><p><em>Sure Chloe, moving a couple boxes isn't that hard. You just take them from the van, walk them through the door and- walk them up a few stairs.<em>

I huffed at the landing, feeling stupid for not accounting for the stairs back when my determination to prove I was worthy- to someone I had just met no less- flared up. I had to turn awkwardly in order to see the stairs around the box I held in my arms.

For God's sake, it was twice my size and possibly triple my weight. At least, if Kit hadn't taken over Derek's job of handing off boxes from the U-Haul, I would have been guaranteed a lighter load.

Unfortunately, I just had to be next in line when Kit was holding this particular box. He was hesitant to hand it off to me and I'll admit that, at first, I stalled in taking it. Then I noticed a large form exit the house from my peripheral vision and snatched it up, regretting it instantly. I played it off, though, briskly brushing past Derek as I did so.

Now I'm stuck on the stairs.

My teeth ground together. I could so do this. It's only a story of steps. The same number of steps in my own house in fact, seeing as though the housing development of the neighborhood was of the same architecture. No big deal.

I sucked in a deep breath, turned straight to the stairs, becoming blinded instantly by the mass of cardboard, and felt my way to the first step.

I moved up a foot.

_See? That wasn't so bad. I just have to take it one step at a time._

_One step at a time._

_This box is pretty big._

_And heavy._

_Really heavy._

_How many more steps are there?_

_Shit, where is the next step?_

I moved my foot forward tentatively, feeling blindly, toes searching for the next step. There was no way I was already at the top. I cursed and continued to aimlessly feel my foot around my current step. The corners of the box were beginning to dig into my forearms and my arms themselves were starting to feel like jelly under the weight.

"Stupid box," I muttered. It was more like, _'Stupid, Chloe.'_

"Are you going to stand there all day," a deep voice rumbled from behind me. Naturally, I turned around nonchalantly and told whoever it was- though I was very aware as to who it was- to be patient. After all, I was holding a freaking huge box in my arms, that might belong to him in the first place, and I couldn't find the next stinking step.

Yeah, it didn't quite go down like that.

To have someone sneak up from behind, for me, natural is jumping about a foot off the ground and yelping like a cat who had just had their tail stepped on by their old crackpot owner.

And that's just what I did.

But that couldn't have been enough. No. I had to do just that, in front of Derek, as well as jack up my footing, slip off the edge of the step and promptly plummet to my death. Or, simply my humiliation, but what's the difference?

"Damn it," Derek cursed roughly, his voice insanely close as I started to fall backward. I wasn't too concerned about him though, mostly on the fact that I was falling- down stairs. I cried out and let go of the box, which was pretty stupid. The damn thing would only follow me. I closed my eyes and kept them shut. My body tensed, bracing for impact.

I want to say that I saw my life flash before my eyes and that everything around me miraculously slowed down like in the movies.

They didn't. I just fell and I knew that when I would finally hit, I was going to hit hard.

Somewhere I heard a thud of something hitting the stairs. I didn't think it was me. I didn't feel anything. However, the next thing that I _did_ feel was something sturdy sliding securely around my waist from behind, quickly pulling me out of my fall and into something that felt exponentially safer- and warm.

Still rigid, I peeked a single eye open. I let out another cry because, really, I saw that I had stopped falling, but the box hadn't. My vision was obstructed with brown. I pulled back into the figure that kept me from tumbling backwards and tried to close my eyes again, but I couldn't look away from the object that was seconds away from crushing me.

Except it didn't and, at this point, I should have figured that it wouldn't have.

My savior merely stuck out their arm, flexing it in preparation for the blow and caught the box between his open palm and the staircase, pressing it there to keep it from rolling on top of us.

It was just too bad that my savior had to be Derek.

While I took a moment to regain the proper momentum for a heart rate, and possible my ability to talk, Derek blew out a frustrated breath. I didn't want to look at him, didn't even want to acknowledge that he was there with his strong, firm grasp around my waist, locking me against his chest as he knelt on the staircase, glaring at me. But I couldn't ignore any of that because the entire situation had gone from scary to simply uncomfortable. Especially considering the fact that I was enjoying the sanctuary- like security of being all pressed up against him.

I could feel my cheeks flame.

"I-I-I-" Oh, for the love of God, please, just kill me now. Now? My fucking stutter had to act up now? As if I hadn't humiliated myself enough. A problem that I haven't had for years just decides it wants to pay me a visit and make me look even more like a spazzoid.

"I-I d-didn-n't-" _Just stop talking!_

"What the hell are you trying to do, kill yourself," Derek barked. I winced, which made me angry. _Look bub, I didn't fall on purpose_. I didn't say that though. It sounded more like-

"I-I t-tripped-" _Damn it!_

"I saw that," Derek grumbled, then pushed against the box so that the stair would support it more. His arm loosened its hold on me and I quickly jumped away from him. Only, there really was no other place to go at the moment, so I merely sat on the stair below the box, helping him hold it up so that he could let go of it. To my dismay though, that positioned me so that I was facing him. I caved and found his eyes, glaring at me, just as I figured. I took a deep breath to calm my relentless stutter before I reacted to that.

"I lost my footing. T-the box was too heavy."

"First," the green-eyed boy started, his tone bitter. "You shouldn't have taken such a big box. It was twice your size. Second, no one asked you for your help in the first place."

My jaw dropped and I'm sure I would have gasped dramatically if not for how shocked I was. I quickly regained my composure, doubling back with my stubborn pride and anger.

"Like it was my idea in the first place," I snapped, proud of myself for dismissing the stutter. "This was all against my will. My dad just randomly decided to play good samaritan. If you have any complaints, take them to him."

"Good samaritan," Derek snorted, voice cold. "Look, you can tell your little Committee to cut the act. We've already told you guys that we aren't interested-"

"What are you talking about," I interrupted, surprised by how the Committee had any part of this conversation and by how Derek even knew about it anyways.

"I'm not stupid," Derek snarled. "This little community service act isn't fooling me."

"Community service!" This time, I did gasp. "Let me get this straight. You think that the Committee for this neighborhood recruited my dad and I to give you guys a hand, that way, you guys get a good impression of the community government and might consider joining their ranks?"

"It's a pretty desperate attempt. But I already told you. We. Aren't. Interested," Derek annunciated as if he were speaking to a slow person. "So stay out of our business and leave my family alone."

I laughed humorlessly, causing Derek to narrow his eyes and give me a hard stare.

"Well that's a relief. I'll be sure to relay the message at the next meeting," I stated sourly. "Why would I want you on the Committee anyways? You're arrogant, rude, insensitive-" Derek huffed in the middle of my rant and rolled his eyes. I balled my fists at my sides and glowered at him.

"- and you're mistaken. You're not stupid, huh? Take another look. My dad and I aren't a part of the fucking Committee nor do we want to be." Derek's eyes widened momentarily before he lidded them to hide his surprise, which pissed me off so much more. He wasn't even going to give me the satisfaction of admitting that he had been wrong, after judging me like that?

"Next time you judge someone, give them a chance to make an impression. At least I know for sure you're a complete asshole, though, I should have just figured that the first moment I saw you. A quick judgment call would have saved me the trouble."

With that said, I jumped up from the stair, leaving Derek to catch the box that wasn't leaning against me anymore and roughly brushed past him. I quickly descended the stairs and took the length of the entryway to the door, catching Simon on his way in on the process.

"Hey, Chloe," he called after me. "Where's the fire?"

"Upstairs," I shouted back, barely catching his response of, "Oh," before storming out the door, across the patio, down the driveway and onto the sidewalk without looking back.

I knew that this had been a bad idea.


	3. Things Just Don't Change

**Author's Note- Edit of Chapter 3. :)**

**Things Just Don't Change**

"Seriously? This isn't a joke right? I'm not horribly confused and it's really June and not April fool's day? Is it opposite day, maybe? Or the apocalypse is upon us, right? Yeah, that's probably it."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Dad chuckled and shook his head, returning to his morning paper since I wasn't really taking his announcement seriously. But he didn't know me all that well if he thought he could just drop the subject. Especially a subject this big and especially if he were relying this news to me.

"Oh, I know! It's the rapture. So the nut job was a few days late, that doesn't mean that the end of the world isn't coming-"

"Chloe." Dad gave me a pointed look, obviously desiring me to cut my childish behavior. But, in all honestly, I had every right to play this card. The guilt trip card. Dad didn't like it, but he was never around to see how much I didn't like the fact that he was never around.

"Okay, so, in all seriousness, you're free this summer?"

"Yup."

"No long-winded business trips?"

"None."

"No on-call-sorry-Chloe-my-pager-is-buzzing-with-my-next-assignment-"

"It's exactly as I said," my father interrupted me, his tone flat with displeasure towards my attitude. "I let my boss know that I would be taking the summer off as an extended vacation. Three months _paid _extended vacation."

See, this is where he keeps losing me. And yet he disliked my questioning of something that seemed so illogical and made absolutely no sense. I mean, I couldn't even wrap my mind around the idea in itself.

"Why," I managed to ask through all my confusion. Dad's features immediately set sheepishly and he cleared his throat unnecessarily.

Dad could give news just fine. It was the closure in anything he had a hard time handling. My father and I don't talk much and when we do, it's not about our feelings or personal matters. I unconditionally love him of course, but the man doesn't know me. He knew me better eleven years ago when Mom was still around. I honestly didn't know Dad all that well either, but with the time I have spent with him, I've found that he's pretty easy to read.

"Well, I've been thinking lately-"

"A dangerous pastime," I murmur. He ignores me and pushes through his explanation.

"You have one year of high school left and a year before you're eighteen and starting your life out there on your own. Now, I don't know what it is you want to do exactly-"

_You and I both, Dad._

"- but I doubt it's sticking around here with your old man."

"Who's never home-"

_Whoops. I think I just said that out loud._

"And that's my point," Dad mutters shamefully and I instantly feel bad, though, I know I shouldn't. He's never home, so my shock in his sudden decision to stay home is completely justified. "I-I understand that I'm always away for business. But, after a lot of thinking, I, uh, well, I decided that I want this last year that- that I have you to be- different."

Dad struggled to keep his cool and, aside from his speech, he was doing a pretty good job doing that. He didn't look me in the eyes though and I could see the regrets written all over his face.

He would never be able to own up to all those regrets. Him and I were the same that way. But I could see the sincerity in what it was he was offering, or asking for. Begging for.

He wanted me to give him a second chance. He wanted to start over.

"Really?" I whispered, still wary. I had every right to be, but I didn't want to be. Especially when Dad looked at me with those big, brown puppy eyes that just looked so sad and lost and pleading.

"Yeah. This summer- I'll have more time to, um-" He paused for a moment, literally skipping over that dreaded, cheesy word.

"Anyways, I wanted to spend the summer working on the yard and the exterior of the house. I thought that would be a good start for, uh, well, between _us,_ I guess."

"Good one, Dad," I laughed. "Yard work, that's great-" I stopped when I noticed that he wasn't smiling and was in fact looking at me with a straight face that might slightly be questioning my sanity. "Wait, you're being serious?"

"Yes, Chloe. It's just that- we used to take such good care of this house and the yard- your mother practically lived in that yard," Dad said quietly and I could see where he was going with this. Maybe he had heard my brutally honest comment the other day, about the fact that Mom wouldn't like what we had done with her yard.

But that's the thing. We haven't done anything and that's why it looked like the dump it is today.

"When you move out- or whatever you plan on doing after this year- I'll most likely spend more time International on business and I don't want to leave the house in a state where it will never be repaired," Dad added, sounding resolute. As if he had put a lot of time and thought into this, into his second chance not only with me, but also with this house- in essence a second chance in keeping a connection with Mom. I was surprised. I didn't think that he ever thought about this kind of stuff. I always believed that work was his way of escaping or coping.

But I guess he just got tired of running away. And, I believed him. I was proud of him in fact.

That didn't really give us- or him for the matter- the capability of fixing the massive mess our backyard had become.

"Alright. I completely agree with you," I begin, scooping up my cereal bowl from the table and taking it over to the sink, aware of Dad's eyes on me as I did, gauging my reaction. "But that yard isn't in need of a petty pick up. It needs professional help. How do you expect us to be able to provide that?"

"Right," Dad chuckled nervously. "Well, I haven't planned that far ahead yet."

I shook my head and hopped up onto the counter.

"Maybe we can call someone. A business that specializes in yards."

Dad was quiet for a moment and I could tell he was tossing it around in his head. I didn't really think it was a big deal. In fact, I thought it was kind of smart. If he really wanted to get the yard and the outside of the house fixed up and repaired, he knew we couldn't do it on our own. Calling someone would be the best idea. But he seemed almost hesitant, as if he didn't want someone he didn't know working on our yard. My mother's yard. He didn't want someone he didn't trust touching it.

I guess I could agree with that feeling. The backyard to this house was something special. It held sentimental value and old memories.

But, if we want those back, we're going to need help.

"Yeah, maybe," Dad murmured unconvincingly. I sighed. "I'll think about it. We have all summer, right?" He said, speaking up this time. Kind of his way of ending a conversation. Don't get me wrong, he will think about it. He'll just take a long time to think about it. I mean, look at how long it took him to think about taking a whole three months off work just to have a second chance to be a part of my life.

Eleven years.

"Alright," I said, slipping off the counter. "Sounds like a plan."

"Yeah, good," Dad mumbled awkwardly.

"Good."

"Good talk," he added, as if unsure what to say. I didn't blame him. We haven't ever really talked. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel the same way.

"Good talk," I repeated, then, unsure as to what to do next, I made my way to the kitchen door. I paused for a second before leaving the room, knowing that there was something else I wanted to say. I was still iffy on the entire situation, with all the news.

But I couldn't deny that I was pretty touched by it.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Hmm," Dad looked up quickly, brows bending in question as to why I was still in the kitchen.

"I-I really appreciate that you- y-you know," I stammered.

"Y-Yeah," Dad said quietly. And that was that.

* * *

><p>People need to understand that Chloe has to have her jam time.<p>

Chloe's jam time consists of three things. Outrageously loud and annoying pop music, any scrap of paper to write inspired screen writes on and the complete silence of everything else.

Unfortunately, at the moment, the unending roar of a nearby engine was considered a disruption to demand number three.

I swung my legs over the side of my bed, unwillingly disregarding the screen write I was working on and grumbled my way to close the window that allowed the disrupting noise to enter the sanctuary that was my jam time.

Jam time was something I sort of developed after Mom had died and Dad had started to pick up more hours. I didn't really want to spend that much time with the 'Nanny' Dad had hired and I was still too wounded to do anything unless strictly required, like school and eating. So I went through a phase where I locked myself away from the world and blasted whatever happened to be on the radio so that no one would hear me crying.

After a while of that, jam time became its own thing where I just kept to myself. Once I discovered my passion in writing and dreams of producing, the concept just fit its way into jam time.

And now something- or someone- was obnoxiously cutting through my music and distracting my concentration on something that could potentially be for the greater good of Hollywood's future.

Sure enough, when I reached the window, I found out exactly what- who- was interrupting jam time.

Derek Souza.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the windowsill, glaring at the jerk who was taking a lawn mower over his family's backyard- hence the sound of an engine whining over my music. It's hardly been two days since the spat I had experienced with him and I still couldn't get over how much I couldn't stand him. How dare he make snap judgments about my father, let alone me? The idea of us luring the Bae family into the Committee's circle was almost laughable and completely ludicrous. So what if he didn't know that Dad and I weren't members? That was the point. He didn't know, therefore, it was unfair of him to make those kinds of assumptions. Especially while we were so kindly helping them move in.

What a rude, ungrateful-

I've honestly been insulted on a much higher level before, so I didn't understand why I cared so much what this guy thought of me. People have judged me before, my own- ex- friends even, and I've always been the bigger person and let it all go. However, this time was different. And I couldn't take not knowing why it was so different.

I sneered a moment longer out my screenless window then looked away, moving to close the glass pane.

But I froze.

Actually, it was more than merely pausing for a moment to mentally calculate something before continuing on with my fairly uneventful but potentially fulfilling life. My mind literally shut down for several seconds before starting back up again as if it were rebooting in order to process the very reason I hesitated in the first place. And let me just say, it was a very pleasurable, complicated and disturbingly good reason.

A whole thirty seconds passed before everything finally clicked and I whipped my head back to the scene outside my window, sneaking a dramatic double-take of the entire situation just as the motor of the lawnmower died. I gasped and my eyes went wide and rounded into large saucers, my mouth falling open in the same second.

"Oh. My. God." I whispered.

Derek left the lawnmower in the middle of his yard where he had paused in his work, moving towards his patio that mirrored my own. I gaped at him as he bent over a single lawn chair that occupied the back porch and picked up a dark, shirt-like piece of clothing and patted it against his glistening brow.

The point of this scenario was that the shirt was supposed to be _on_ his body, not lounging on the sidelines awaiting his need to relieve the after effects of hard work.

It only made sense that Derek would work shirtless, as most guys do, especially in the summer. But that wasn't the point.

The point was that he was _shirtless._ And this occurrence wasn't helping my resolve to dislike him.

Sure, when I had first laid eyes on Derek I had admired the way his biceps flexed in their crossed position and stretched the fabric of his rather tight shirt, and how broad the color made his shoulders appear and the way it hugged his torso. But that was when his shirt was still on, hardly comparing to this precise moment where that wasn't the case.

I gawked, mouth still agape as Derek tossed his shirt aside, forgotten and dismissed, and relished in how his strictly defined shoulder blades rolled in the movement. My eyes traveled when he turned back towards his lawnmower and fawned over the planes of his stomach, mind barely registering how wrong this was for someone you strongly disagree with to have such an amazingly toned body. It just wasn't fair. And don't even get me started on his chest. His glorious, peppered with drops of glistening-

_Red light!_

"Oh my God!" I squealed as I realized just where my mind was going. I hadn't noticed just how loud I had been until I saw Derek's gaze snap up in my direction. I squeaked and dropped to the floor of my room, hitting the hardwood with a smack as the fall had been instinctual and unexpected. I didn't dare voice my pain though. Instead I bit my tongue and slowly counted to twenty in my head, praying that Derek hadn't seen me and would blow off the mangled sound of my cry as some deranged bird and resume his work.

Sure enough, as I hit twenty, the motor roared back to life and I breathed a sigh of relief. However, there was still a little paranoid voice in the back of my head screaming, 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!'

Slowly, I rose to my feet, wincing as I felt the strain on every part of my body that hit the floor. My left knee and cheek in particular stung and started to prickle in a numbing after effect. I ignored the protests my minor injuries screamed at me and hesitantly peaked over the windowsill. Derek's back- his obnoxiously, scrumptious back- was facing my house, concluding that he was no longer looking in my direction.

I took another longing look, checked myself and took note of exactly what I was doing, silently cursed to myself, then slumped back to the floor, leaning my back against the wall below the window.

How annoying, frustrating and mind boggling is it to find out that your douche-y new neighbor is amazingly built and gorgeous- even more so than you had already perceived- just after you declared your eternal disdain for him?

Extremely.

* * *

><p>The next two weeks were somewhat uneventful. When I say somewhat, I'm referring to the fact that I had hoped- but didn't really expect- to see a sort of change produced by my father's constant presence. However, things seemed to have remained the same.<p>

I stuck to my usual daily routine. Breakfast, shower and dress for the day, minor chores around the house, check my all but empty inbox, perhaps a trip to the library or walk in the park- depending on the day- watch and studiously observe some movies, jam time, dinner, read, bed. I believe I mentioned before that I had lost my friends to the Committee, and have been additionally stripped of school by summer- not an entirely bad thing- however; this meant that I had no life.

It was pretty pathetic actually.

In the midst of this, Dad was just a faint occurrence. He might have been an extra in my schedule, but I knew where his mind really was. It was back at work, possibly planning for the catch up he would have to make once the summer was over. I'll admit I was a tad bit disappointed but not all that surprised.

Still, there was roughly another two months to go, and a lot could happen in that amount of time.

A lot can happen in two weeks.

And, aside from my day-to-day, second nature routine, plenty of things _had_ happened.

Derek had cut his family's lawn to perfection. He had re-stained and repaired his side of the fence. He propped up the drooping newborn tree near the center of his yard, and put some maintenance in the small fountain on the patio as well as the shed parallel- save the fence in the way- to the run down stack of fire wood in my own yard.

In two weeks, Derek had gotten so much work done; simply taking care of minor imperfections here and there as the house had been inhabited for years- and I witnessed the whole process.

I know that to most, my simple observations and chance happenings to catch Derek at work in his backyard just as I so coincidentally seem to be passing by my bedroom window would be classified as stalking. However, I see it as just dumb luck. Why would I purposefully pace the length of my windowed wall at nearly four in the evening, where Derek seems to spend this precise time working, just to wind up taking meaningless mental notes of someone I could hardly stand because of their unruly and rude attitude?

Some may argue that it was because Derek had a glorious body and almost always worked shirtless.

Again, what do I care? Derek Souza may be sort of, possibly, in a dark and hulking way, a little- in a lack of better words- _hot_, but he was still a jerk. He was insensitive and quick to assume that a possibly innocent person had some sort of ulterior motive. I can understand being wary and untrusting of strangers, but Derek had crossed a line once he opened his unjustly, judgmental mouth.

Still, I found myself questioning on a particularly dry and scorched Monday evening why I've most recently found myself eager to stealthily sneak momentary peaks around my pale blue curtains and take time out of my very important and life pending daily routine to just watch him do petty yard work. Yes, Derek had his shirt off, like he did almost every other day, and sure, when all this started that first day I was graced- or cursed- with that specific occurrence, I couldn't help but marvel. And I was justified by the fact that, who wouldn't? It was like the guy had stepped right out of a sports magazine or some bullshit cologne commercial.

Be that as it may, once I really started asking myself what the hell I was doing, I was coming up with answers of intrigue and curiosity. I was no longer watching _him_ while he worked, but watching him _work_. There was something about the way Derek handled things that was somehow interesting, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. And I used that as an excuse to continue watching. I honestly couldn't tell if it was how engrossed he was in his projects or the almost gleeful vibe that emanated from his body by simply being outdoors, but I was determined to find out what made _this_ Derek so much different from the one I had met two weeks before.

I was stealing a glance of Derek tending to a forgotten lawn gnome that Monday evening when I was startled by a hesitant knock on my door. I yelped and reached for the curtains, yanking them together roughly before whirling towards my door, heart going a million beats a minute as if I had just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

"Chloe? Are you decent," Dad's voice came from the other side of the door. I sighed and took a second to steady my heart rate before calling back.

"Sure, come in."

There was a pause and I wondered if I had taken too long to reply and he had already left. I was about to check for myself, but the door opened and Dad stepped in seemingly reluctant and tense. His brows were bent in a sort of concerned, yet, almost guilty manner of concentration, as if he had some bad news. His anxious aura puzzled me, shockingly averting my brain completely from the shirtless and mysterious boy next door.

"What's up," I asked cautiously and when Dad coughed unnecessarily to clear his throat- a nervous habit the both of us shared- I raised my brow in suspicion.

"I made some calls earlier and I found someone who could work on the yard at a pretty reasonable price," Dad stated. I didn't see why this news called for him to be so shifty though. In fact, it was great news. It was a sign of progress. It had taken two weeks for him to finally make a decision on the task he had laid on the table when he took his vacation, regardless, he actually pulled through with it. For a moment, my disappointment of having my father here yet still lacking his company diminished, and a new sense of hope and optimism was born. Maybe Dad was seriously determined to change things around here and take full advantage of this second chance.

"That's great, Dad," I exclaimed. "When do they start? I've been thinking that instead of paying them to do all the work, they can train us up to handle the work ourselves, you know what I mean? Or at least we can help them out, that way we don't defeat the whole purpose of you taking vacation and spending some time at home."

The more I continued to talk, the more my father seemed to squirm along with something in the pit of my stomach as that paranoia and question began to settle again.

"I'm sure you'll be able to spend some time working on the yard with the young man I hired. It's a good idea, that way there can be an up- keep once he's finished," Dad said as he rubbed the back of his neck, features set for certain now in guilt. My heart sank and I knew that I should have known better.

"I'll be spending time working on the yard? Just me?" I really didn't need to ask, but at this point, I wasn't exactly sure what to say anymore.

"The firm has an unexpected and greatly profitable new project and I was specifically selected to fly to Europe to start the blue prints."

"When is your flight," I asked robotically.

"Tomorrow morning."

I nodded, slowly at first, allowing this reality to be absorbed. I couldn't fight the slight hurt I felt, especially after he had made a big deal about spending some time at home and time with me, and how he had looked almost determined to take advantage of the present and use it to- as much as I hate the corny truth of it- bond with me. But the key word was: almost. I knew. Even two weeks ago during his proposal of this hesitantly built- if not completely spontaneous- plan, I knew it was a long shot and a false hope. But I had allowed myself to carry such silly fantasies and that was my fault, not his. And I couldn't deny that I was used to this, because, in reality, I was always disappointed to see Dad go. Every time he came home, I harbored that false hope that he would stay, just a little longer than usual. And this time, when it seemed like he would, I should have been more wary and aware of the fact that it was too good to be true. People can't just change, break habits or- in more or less words- addictions on a sudden desire to make things right, not right away at least. Things like this eleven year gap between my father and I would take time to be resolved, if not our whole lives. That was the kind of hope I needed to carry, because it was more realistic and allowed to cling to my optimistically stubborn attitude that desired to have a parental figure once again. For now, however, I was almost eighteen, an adult, and as so many times in the past, I just needed to suck it up and let him go.

So, I put on a brave face and smiled. What I expressed to my father was a pitiful lie to what I actually felt towards him, but it was the way things had become and was almost effortless now.

Almost.

"All the way to Europe? Wow, that's amazing," I played this act strong and just wished with all my might that Dad couldn't hear how false my words sounded, even to me. "Promise to bring back pictures?"

Dad's lips quirked, but the smile didn't quite meet his eyes as he surveyed me, gauging how I was really taking this. And like every other time he had left, he would only force himself to dig deep enough to see my false pretenses of understanding, and then he would go.

"Always do," he said quietly then nodded toward my bedroom door. "Uh, I'll be packing if you need anything."

"Thanks, Dad."

_Thanks for nothing._

* * *

><p>My enjoyment of Captain Crunch and OJ was abruptly interrupted by a sharp rap on the front door. Spoon halfway to my awaiting mouth; I glanced over at Dad, figuring that this was a rare occasion for him to be home so long, I felt as if he was obligated to answer the door for once. When he looked at me expectantly over the top of his morning paper, I sighed, dropped my spoon into the burgundy bowl that held my longing of sugary goodness and pushed my chair away from the table with a nasty screech across the linoleum floor.<p>

Clad in my girly boxers and black wife beater, I trudged to the door. It was barely seven in the morning, my dad was home for at least four more hours, it was summer, my vacation; God forbid that whatever sale or package couldn't possibly wait for a better time to invade on my life? This was bound to be a waste of a good three and a half minutes of my precious time.

Muttering to myself, I turned the brass knob of the front door, swung it open and opened my mouth to release a very rude, "What," on the intruder.

However, my word screeched to a halt in my throat and my knees buckled, my chest seized and I could feel my flesh burn, no doubt turning a very attractive tomato red. My eyes definitely bugged and I was sure I squeaked as my brain registered exactly _who_ it was at the door.

Then I did the stupidest thing imaginable. Without even thinking, I shrieked. While doing my best to hold it in my throat, the sound came out as if produced by a wild cat being strangled. Then I flung the door shut. I whipped around, throwing my back against the door as if that would keep him outside and out of my sight forever- as much as I didn't want that, but, at this point, I was acting irrationally. My breathing pitched a notch in overdrive and my heart stammered so hard I could feel the rocketing motion down in my toes. The entryway swayed and it took me a moment after shoving his very confused- very intense- eyes out of my head to realize that I was shaking, hard.

"Chloe, who's at the door," Dad called from the kitchen. His voice slammed reality into me and I mentally slapped myself for what I had just done. In front of _him_ of all people.

"Chloe?" Dad asked, sounding concerned. His paper ruffled, as if he set it down and he was getting up from the table. I quickly called back to him, not wanting him to see me in this state.

"J-Just Derek, Dad."

That's right. I had just freaked and slammed the door on Derek Souza.

Great.

What the hell was he doing here! Seven in the morning, on my front step, after we hadn't had any form of communication with him or his family since our little farce two weeks before, and now that I had started to catch him working in his backyard, shirtless, through my bedroom window- in which I will painstaking and unwillingly admit that I was admiring if not ogling- while I greet him so gracefully in my pajamas.

I paused for a moment, breath catching and shivers halting as that little fun fact sunk in along with the rest of reality.

Oh my God. Derek Souza, Derek hot ass Souza, had just seen me, petite and miniscule Chloe Saunders, in her physical state of literally just rolling out of bed, complete with crazy hell hair and fabric- lined face.

I whipped around, removing my body blockade from the door, and jumped onto my tip-toes to steal a quick glance out the peephole, curious and mortified to gauge Derek's reaction to whatever had just happened in that entire cluster fuck.

He was leaning against the entry wall, as if no one had even answered the door yet and he was simply waiting to be greeted, his arms- his magnificent, sturdy arms- casually lose at his sides with his hands tucked away in the pockets of his dark washed jeans. His bright green eyes seemed distant as he looked out upon the neighborhood, surveying the area as he patiently waited. However, I could barely catch something lingering in their clouded and shielded depths. And I had a feeling that the oh-so small crooked smirk on his face gave it away.

Amusement.

My face burned an even deeper red from an evil mixture of humiliation and a seething desire to hit the guy for _laughing_ at me- though my antics were logically insane, it didn't change the fact that he was judging me-_ again_. I had to remind myself that, at a glance, Derek Souza was eye candy, but up close and personal, he was an arrogant asshole.

"Aren't you going to let him in, Chloe," Dad exclaimed from behind me as he entered the foyer. I yelped, another sound I'm not proud of making, and jumped away from the door. When I met my father's gaze- putting on my best poker face to hide my hurricane of emotions- his features were strewn with question and concern. I bent my brows in confusion and glanced between him, the door, and him again. His eyes that challenged my sanity tipped me off and the whole entire situation just clicked.

"Were you actually expecting him? He's not the guy you hired-"

"Of course I'm expecting him and he _is _the young man I hired to patch up the yard," Dad huffed, then strode past me to open the door himself, leaving me dumbfounded and rooted to the floor, mind barely even able to register his mumbled rant about 'Crazy teenagers.'

"Good morning Derek," Dad greeted politely with a rather large and warm smile on his face. I stared at Dad incredulously- for one, I was still trying to comprehend exactly what was going on and what this little turn of events meant for me and my summer while also avoiding Derek's gaze at all costs. Who knows what psychotic act I'll pull off next just by looking at him- and then, suddenly, I was glaring at him.

What the hell was he thinking?

"Mr. Saunders," I heard Derek rumble in that amazing, velvety deep voice of his, where I had to remind myself that the last time I had heard it, it was hissing angry and unjustified threats at me. I crossed my arms and pushed my weight onto one leg, deliberately keeping my eyes away from the two torturously disappointing men standing in the entryway. To anyone, my actions may come across as pouting, but that wasn't necessarily true. I was simmering.

"I'm glad you were able to come a little earlier than planned. I wanted to be able to run over exactly what I want done with you, though, I'm sure it won't seem all that difficult. I was very impressed by how well you've been taking care of your own yard that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get that quality of work done myself. Isn't that right, Chloe?"

I mumbled something without much heart in it that sounded something like, "Sure, whatever."

"Well, yes," Dad continued. "Anyways, I just wanted to apologize for the last minute change of time. Like I said, I wanted to get in some inquiry before I have to catch my early flight-"

"What?" I interrupted, snapping out of my sulking demeanor. All thoughts of Derek's presence vanished and I cast my father a quizzical and confused glance. His flight was at noon, or, that's what he had told me the night before when he announced that he was leaving. When had he changed his flight time? Why had he changed his flight time? There was no longer a squirming sensation of disappointment in my gut, but something that stung from deep down in my chest.

He wasn't even going to spend the morning with me before he left on a trip this big?

"Right, sorry Chloe. I was going to mention that my flight has been changed when you woke up but-"

"Don't worry about it," I cut in. "Just caught me off guard is all, but now I know." I stared at my toes as I said this. Sure, I could lie, but I had never really been very good at it. Though, I don't think my father had ever noticed if I had lied to him in the past, and I doubt he was about to notice now.

And I was right. He shrugged it off and continued to discuss what he wanted from Derek as far as the yard went. I continued to stare at the floor, attempting in vain to cast everything, especially that struggling ache in my chest, out of my mind until I had the feeling of someone's gaze on me. I allowed myself to follow that instinct and looked up, only to meet gloriously frustrating and intense green eyes. His fix on me was puzzling, orbs clouded with observation and curiosity and- sympathy?

Before I could actually peg it, Derek looked away and I did the same, sure of the fact that I must now be imagining things in my state of mixed mentality.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Dad was hauling several large suitcases down the stairs while I lounged on the kitchen counter and watched through the entry door that was left ajar. I wouldn't doubt that more than half his luggage was his actual work.<p>

At this point, I felt fairly numb, mind more focused on that relentless ache that started to settle in my stomach as well as drum away at my chest. I didn't understand. I never could and possibly never would. Dad was a workaholic and there was no other explanation for it. But I could never fully comprehend why.

Sure, he took Mom's death pretty hard. We both did. But, we were left with each other. I had him and he had me.

But, was I not good enough to keep him here? Was I not good enough to take a chance and follow through with it? Was I not good enough to make up some of that void that was produced by my mother's passing?

Was I not good enough for him at all?

"Looks like he's packing for a long trip," Derek said from beside me. I would have been lying if I claimed that I had almost forgotten that he had just came inside after studying our yard and his future project not five minutes ago. And I would be lying even more if I hadn't been painfully- physically and mentally- aware of his presence since then.

This small sense of attraction I felt towards Derek needed to be nicked in the bud as soon as possible. He was a jerk. And if there was anything I had learned from enduring my life with my Dad-

"Yeah." I whispered. "Around here, things just don't change."

With that said, I slid off the counter, trudged past Dad without a second glance, stormed up the stairs to my bedroom and slammed the door.

Even when I knew I was out of Derek's sight, I could still feel his eyes on me.


	4. Geniuses and Starfish

**Author's Note- Edit of chapter 4!**

**Enjoy and Destroy!**

**Geniuses and Starfish**

Que incessant ringing of doorbell- now.

"Gah!" I shrieked, bolting straight up from the comfort of my mattress, which didn't seem to be such a great idea, seeing as though I hadn't been sleeping exactly straight in the first place. I promptly flipped wildly onto my hardwood floor for the second time this summer and groaned against the migraine produced from the combination of hitting the floor and the relentless sound whining and echoing through my house at- I glanced up at my alarm clock and seethed- seven in the morning.

Whoever's idea this was, whether it was some sort of joke or sick torture, was going to die. And then I would raise them from the dead with some crazy, dark magic shit and kill them again.

And yet, as if my mental threats hadn't been received by the jerk who robbed me of my blissful unconsciousness, the doorbell kept ringing.

Annoying and impatient. Fantastic.

I pushed myself up and stormed my way to the front door, making sure that I was loud enough for the stranger outside to hear the _Giant_ that was coming out to get them. Hopefully they would just scurry along before they found out that it wasn't a _Giant_ on the other side of the door, but in fact a seventeen year old blonde who could pass as a seventh grader.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Putting on my best scowl- which wasn't too hard seeing as how I wasn't in a very good mood- I ripped the door open, mouth open and ready to bark out at the imbecile _still_ ringing the doorbell.

However, feeling a sense of déjà vu, my words were cut short and came out as a gurgled mess once I laid eyes on the imbecile himself.

Derek.

_And,_ as if I had learned absolutely nothing from the previous morning, or had forgotten that the entire fiasco in itself had even occurred, I shrieked and wrenched the door back into its frame. The action was such a blur, just like before, except this time, the door was caught before it could even have a chance to close, causing me to blink and re-think where I was and what I was doing- or what was happening for the matter.

"Is this going to be an everyday occurrence," Derek teased in somewhat of a cocky tone as he gently pushed the door back open to reveal a blushing and embarrassed little Chloe. The inflection of his voice matched with the smirk plastered across his face and amused sparked green- so, so green- eyes merely sent my stomach's hysterical flutters ablaze with humility and anger.

Just like the day before.

I tried to regain as much composure and dignity as possible- which was a great feat considering that each time Derek and I have met, I've either fell, squealed, freaked or angrily stomped away like a child- and scoffed at my unwelcomed guest. Damn, did this guy just get on my nerves!

"I'm going to see you every day?" I was externally upset with the idea, as I made Derek aware by my tone and body language, I'm sure, but on the inside, I couldn't bring myself to push back the slight excitement I felt towards it.

Was Derek really going to be working on my yard every day this summer?

Once my words were out, the small laughter and amusement in Derek's eyes died and his smirk gave way to a composed straight line, much like how I had first met him when his family moved in next door. His whole aura changed in a blink of an eye and I felt myself illogically regretting haven spoken at all.

Even cocky and smirky Derek was better than the stoic stranger standing on my porch at seven in the morning.

"Only Tuesdays through Thursdays," he said passively, smoldering me with his deep emotionless eyes, as if to mentally ask me- not so politely- 'Is that going to be okay with _you_?'

"Oh," was my only response to both his verbal and unvoiced remarks. Because now I felt like a colossal bitch. Which, really, didn't make sense. Why was it fair for him to get away with accusing and judging me, and yet I was the bad guy because I didn't really care for the guy because of it?

The air in the entryway thickened as an awkward and unpleasant silence fell over us. I could feel Derek's cold gaze on me as I tried to look at anything but him, praying that something would come up, anything that would relieve me of how uncomfortable the moment was. When nothing came, I found myself returning Derek's gaze, only to receive a quirk of his brow and a questioning look.

"Are you going to let me in," he asked, as if speaking to a small child or someone who didn't speak English. I inwardly flinched at how sensible that seemed and how it should have actually been done minutes ago.

_Duh, Chloe. Let him in to do his job. Be a big girl, show him to the back door, ask if he needs anything, then stay out of his way._

It was only courteous and practical common sense. And I was pretty practical.

"You know where the opening to the fence is," I snapped instead, then- this time intentionally- slammed the door shut.

But I was pretty prideful too.

* * *

><p>Watching Derek from my bedroom window was harder than it had been the previous two weeks. Really, it shouldn't have been. It's not like him working in my yard should have been any different from him working in his own yard. They weren't that far apart or fairly separated due to the broken down fence built between them. However, I had this sense of paranoia that, if he was in a stranger's yard, something foreign no matter how similar it was to his own, then there was more of a chance for him to catch me. He seemed more vigilant. More tense. More aware.<p>

And I tried to ignore the fact that Derek was in my backyard, and that he would be back tomorrow and the next week, and the week after that. God knows I tried. But after an agonizing seven minutes of catching faint noises of someone tromping through tall grass, and tugging on broken wood, and ripping weeds from the ground, and cursing about how much work needed to be done, just outside my cracked window; I couldn't take it anymore and I permitted myself a peek.

I was in a crouch, eyes level with the windowsill, balanced on the balls of my feet, ready to drop in case Derek looked this way. I took note that he was in the middle of the yard, grass grazing against his denim covered calves, his arm curled back as he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes hard with concentration as they scanned the yard. Calculating. Probably writing his own mental checklist other than the itinerary Dad had left him the day before.

He seemed so focused that once he dropped his arm- only to cross it in front of his chest and accompany it with his other limb- I swore he solidified and became as still as a statue, eyes trained on the yellowing patches of decaying grass in front of him, no doubt committing his list to memory, mind running through each task, juggling his option, determining how to go about getting the 'to do' done efficiently and how much time it would take him or how much he was willing to spend on one single objective.

I gripped the windowsill until my knuckles turned white. I didn't know Derek enough to really predict that he was doing all that while he just stood there, and would seem to be spacing off to anyone else that stole a quick glance of him at the moment. But, I had seen him take this practice so many times before- when he was about to work on his own backyard the past couple weeks- that, I could just tell that was exactly what he was doing if not more. And, to me, that just made him come across as smart. Like a strategist. Planning out his next hundred steps and the steps he would take if something didn't go right, and the steps he would take if he accomplished something early and so on.

All before he even started.

Derek was different when he was outside. Whether he was working or just standing there, his entire demeanor was _different_.

The outdoors seemed to be his element. And every time I caught Derek in his element, I was left mesmerized.

"Do you plan on helping me, seeing as though this is _your_ yard, or am I just going to slave over it with an audience?"

_Wait- what?_

It took me a second to realize that Derek had spoken, and it took until his green eyes travelled up to my bedroom window to realize that he wasn't talking to himself, but the only other person within hearing distance.

He was talking to me.

For a fraction of a second, I debated dropping to the floor and waiting out the awkward moment while simultaneously wishing that this wasn't actually happening- _this_, being that Derek had caught be watching him do his work in my backyard in a suspicious looking crouch position from my bedroom window- but there was no avoiding the simple reality that he had caught me. I was officially busted. There was no doubt as I met his distant gaze; a look that questioned my sanity.

So, I had to come out of this with as much dignity as possible- which I doubted, with Derek, there was hardly even a scrap left at this point.

I stood quickly, standing completely straight, tall and confident, though, on the inside, I felt anything but confident. I just hoped he couldn't see the color my cheeks had turned. My heart was racing and my mind was whirring, but my only give away would have definitely been the brilliant blush on my face from his perspective.

The scolding look he gave me informed me that he had caught on quickly. I sputtered for an excuse for my actions.

"I-I was just trying to make s-sure you're actually doing your job c-c-correctly. After all, my Dad is paying you." This explanation seemed to be pretty legitimate. So I stuck with it, crossing my arms and keeping as straight a face as I could muster.

"And what about last week, when I wasn't getting paid," Derek asked without missing a beat, jogging my thoughts momentarily and leaving me confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You can't possibly tell me that you were, 'making sure I was doing my job correctly,' in my own yard while you were watching me the last couple of weeks."

I froze.

He knew I had been watching him? How was that possible? I had been so careful. He never gave any sign of knowing that I had been observing him. Never had he confronted me like he was in this very moment. How long has he been aware of this?

I regained my composure and averted my gaze away from him, shifting my weight as if I had been unaffected by his words and was offended by what he was accusing me of.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said sternly, playing dumb. I knew he wouldn't buy it, but what else did I have to lose?

Derek snorted, something that would be seemingly unattractive on any other teenage boy, but it fit Derek's persona so well that the cocky sound was almost somewhat alluring.

"So if you're not part of this Committee as you so boldly proclaimed-"

"I'm not," I snapped, gaze whipping to his in a second. My embarrassment was momentarily forgotten as I glared at him, daring him to say he didn't believe me.

"I've been made aware," Derek stated calmly, emotionless. I waited. "So you're not; then why were you spying on me?"

"I wasn't spying!" I exclaimed. This time he chuckled disbelievingly, the inflection and sound showcased his growing impatience, as if he was a cop in an interrogation room growing tired of not getting any answers.

"Enlighten me then. What would you call hiding and peeking through your curtains-"

"How would you know?" I interrupted, finding a point in his explanation that I can use as a counter argument in this- seemingly ridiculous- debate. Obviously, he already knew I was stalking him. For the most part, he had me figured out. Maybe he didn't understand my true intentions behind me peeping. After all, he basically indicated that I was spying on him and his family as if I were some secret agent sent forth by the Committee to gather intelligence on our new neighbors.

But that didn't really matter- aside from the fact that he was, once again, making his own assumptions about me.

What mattered is that he caught me watching him and he wanted answers, and frankly, there was no point in arguing, because I had already lost.

I just wasn't willing to admit defeat quite yet, or my true reasoning for spying on him.

"How would you know if it wasn't just your imagination? You know? Maybe you caught sight of me a couple of times while I was coincidentally in my room with the curtains open, but for the most part, I tend to keep my curtains closed. I mean, how do I know you weren't spying on me? What if you're the one who's part of the Com-"

Derek sighed and chose this moment to interrupt. There was a lot of that going back and forth between us.

"The sun sets on the other side of your house," he stated warily. I might have imagined it, but there was also a tone of annoyance beyond what he felt towards our small farce, as if he was troubled into giving me this piece of information, or speaking to someone who was a little on the slow side. Though, the statement meant absolutely nothing to me and seemed entirely off topic in my opinion.

"So?"

"So," He started, definitely using that voice adults tended to use with kids while attempting to explain something they weren't quite old enough to understand. I clenched my fist. "In the evening, the sun is on the west side- or the front- of your house. If your floor plan is the same as mine, that means there is a window on the opposite wall of the hallway outside your bedroom door. The light comes through that window, into your room, and casts shadows towards the east- or the back- of your house."

There was a moment of silence as I tried to gather exactly what he was getting at. I knew that deep down, I actually understood what he was saying- I could comprehend his logic perfectly- but I was momentarily left stupefied by his explanation itself.

He _was_ smart. Really smart.

"Your shadow was set against your pale curtains because the light was coming in from-"

"I get it," I said quickly, holding up my hands in surrender. I met his eyes then and found that he was everything but tired of this dragged out conversation. He looked like he still wanted answers, but was already over the situation and rather be working than wasting his time trying to get something out of me. However, my previous panic and humiliation was replaced by some sort of awe as how he was able to catch tiny details that, in his eyes, must have been obvious, but to anyone else, it might have taken them a while to actually deduce everything he did in merely no time at all.

"Are you sure you're not a spy," I asked, mostly without thinking, but the idea wasn't exactly preposterous.

And for the first time since it vanish at the front door when I first saw Derek this morning, his amused smirk returned, eyes flashing with something akin to his own sense of humor.

"Are you going to be helping me or not?"

It didn't take me that long to think over the options he was giving me really. If he was willing to drop the whole, 'Watching him for weeks through my bedroom window,' subject- as of the moment- then I wasn't going to argue. I wasn't even going to snap a smartass reply or channel my confused feelings for the guy through my big blabber. Not that I was that much of a talker. It was just a gut reaction to whenever my neighbor spoke down to me, which occurred by almost every other statement out of his mouth. But still, I kept my mouth shut and nodded slowly- finding that, for some reason beyond me, I actually wanted to help him and really had nothing to lose. In fact, I had everything to gain. I wouldn't have to be driven to the brink of insanity, knowing that this very contradicting boy I hardly knew- nor was sure whether I wanted to be acquainted with or not- was just outside the confined walls of my house, with or without certain articles of clothing, doing God knows what in my backyard. Not to mention I wouldn't have to feel like a total perverted sneak by spying on him by any means.

I could just do that myself, in the open, in broad daylight, merely a few feet away from him, with technically no stalking status whatsoever.

I told Derek I would be down in a moment and stepped away from the window. I was still so shaken and dazed from being caught practically stalking, then coming across the unreasonably fascinating discovery that Derek had some major brains, followed by all too quickly- willingly- agreeing to perform hard labor in a yard I haven't stepped foot in in years, that I nearly sprinted through the door- in a somewhat giddy stupor- and down the stairs without thinking twice about my current appearance. If it weren't for the bathroom mirror at the end of the hall, just before the stairs, I wouldn't have noticed.

I was still in my pajamas and my hair was a rat's nest.

I shook the horrifying thought of just what Derek thought of me- after everything he's witnessed of me- out of my mind, took in a few even breathes, then slowly went back to my bedroom to change. I was careful to step into my walk-in closet, just to be sure that Derek wouldn't see me through my open window.

* * *

><p>A quick change- green t-shirt and a pair of Capri's- a speedy brush through the jungle I call my hair, a timely cleanse of my face and morning breath and ten minutes later, I was sliding the back door open, finding that Derek was picking up the several broken pieces of the abused garden gnome from the tall grass, as well as rocks and other inanimate objects that dubbed my yard its home.<p>

"Poor Patrick," I said as I made my way towards Derek. He looked up at me, a curious look danced in his eyes.

"Patrick?"

I plucked the bright red nose of the gnome from his collection and ran my finger against the smooth porcelain, careful of the sharp broken edges. Derek snorted.

"You named the gnome Patrick?" I shrugged.

"I was five and he looked like Patrick Star."

Derek gave me a questioning look and I lifted my brows in surprise.

"You know, Patrick Star? He's SpongeBob's best friend." Realization flashed across Derek's face and he smirked. I did my best to ignore the returning flutters brought on by that simple quirk in his lips.

"I'm going to rephrase that question. You named the gnome after a starfish." He didn't even make it sound like a question. Just a factual statement. As if, just by this simple fact, he could determine my maturity right then and there. That, or he actually had a sense of humor. A sarcastic one. But one nonetheless.

"I was five," I exclaimed.

He grunted something unintelligible and shook his head. After a moment he straightened and took an aura of professionalism- well, as professional as his unemotional facade could accomplish.

"First things first, the grass has to go," he began, eyes scanning and assessing the yard again. I nodded. "When was the last time you cut it?"

"Umm-"

"I'm taking that as a while ago. And I'm assuming it was before winter, otherwise, the grass would be longer and healthy. As soon as the cold hit it, it must have decayed and died off at the roots-" He stopped his analysis when he caught my gaze. I'm sure I wasn't staring, but I was paying more attention than would have been deemed necessary. I couldn't help it. Similar to how he was giving his explanation to my shadow on the curtain do to the sun's position at the time, Derek had a theory about how long ago and when the grass was last cut, based on how it looked and felt. And- to a reason that was beyond me- I found his hypotheses and scientific driven logic fascinating.

Derek cleared his throat and looked away, and I was pretty sure I was imagining it- I must have, there was just no way it was possible- but there seemed to be a light pink hue across the bridge of his nose and strict cheek bones.

"- Anyways, there is a way to save the grass. But it needs to be cut first. And that will just make it easier to work on everything else. But, before we break out a heavy-duty lawnmower, the yard needs to be clear of any rocks and remaining body parts of-" He nodded towards the disassembled garden gnome, a slight smirk touching his lips. "-Patrick, the fallen gnome slash starfish." I laughed.

"He was a valiant protector. I think a proper burial is in order."

Derek snorted and gestured towards the dump I dubbed my yard.

"Protector of what?"

And suddenly, the light and seemingly effortless air between us fell to the dirt beneath our feet, as did my stomach as my heart constricted and formed a knot in my throat. I glanced towards the solitary dirt patch set up beside the run-down shed, taking in the sight of overwhelming weeds, and long-dead remains and memories of tomato vines and carrot tops producing from the soil.

"My Mom's garden," I murmured.

For an agonizingly long moment, I was stuck in the old days. Mom pretending to fuss over dirt and grass stains on my sunflower summer dress before smearing dirt on my cheeks, making me giggle and squeal and do the same to her. I felt Derek's eyes on me but couldn't bring myself to meet them. Who knows what I would see there in his always intense green gaze. Scrutiny, annoyance, judgment- after all, he hadn't given me much of any other emotion to determine anything other than the fact that I was either a bother or cheap entertainment for him.

So I was surprised when I pulled myself out of my memories and turned towards him to announce the fact that we should start working, and found that he was in fact looking at me, but not in any way I would have deemed possible of the neighbor I had thought was a complete asshole.

There was no annoyance, no hostility or negativity. Just simply neutral. His eyes were cloudy as they assessed me. As if he could see right through me. As if his brain were working through a million possibilities of what I could mean by my words in that minor second that our eyes met.

And with each possibility his eyes became clearer.

As if he could understand and sympathize.

Finally, Derek was the first to break eye contact- releasing me from what seemed to be a trance-like state his jade orbs had put me in- and he looked over the yard, one last time.

"Let's get to work," he rumbled, then turned away and started on the other side of the yard.

**Until next time! XD**


	5. Interrogations

**Author's Note- I know I have been MIA for quite a while. After all, I had started this story last year with the intentions of making it a summer story. However, most of you know my string of excuses. But, I'm happy to say that I am comfortably settled in the military and should have more time to write. I just need to find the motivation. So, I went through this story and edited it as well as added a new chapter. I'd advise re-reading just to get the feel of the story again. **

**Also, please check out my new story, Beautifully Cursed in Derek's POV!**

**Again, I hope you all enjoy!**

**Interrogations**

I bounced down the stairs Thursday morning, partially concerned for my health, though, anyone who could see me now would note that I was almost giddy. It was nearly seven in the morning and I had questioned dazedly what the hell I had been thinking last night considering I had set my alarm for six. However, once the reasoning finally occurred to me through my slumbering stupor, I shot up and out of bed and raced through my daily morning routine, hours earlier than my regular schedule. Only, this time, instead of instantly going downstairs for my breakfast, I made myself look presentable first.

Today, I was going to be ready for Derek's visit.

The day before, well, Derek and I hadn't exchanged very many words. But after watching Derek work the last couple of weeks, my summer objective was no longer to avoid and hate him, but to get to know him.

I'll admit- even though he started it- I had been childish and judgmental. It's a defense mechanism I had developed after all the crap that happened between Rae and I, not to mention the others. But, if Derek was as uninterested in the Committee as I was, then I should really give him a chance to redeem his initial behavior. Besides, there was just something about him-

I was barely halfway down the entry hall when there was a sturdy knock on the front door. I froze momentarily. Only for a moment. Like my brain hit the reset button and I wasn't sure what to do. My heart beat picked up and I could feel my palms begin to sweat. My throat went dry.

I was determined not to humiliate myself again, so I quickly rushed through the swinging kitchen door, grabbed a glass from the drying rack beside the sink, lunged for the fridge and pulled out the jug of orange juice. I rushed to poor myself a glass full with slightly shaky hands, then trudged back to the door as another, yet slightly hesitant knock sounded. Before turning the knob, I took a sip, cleared my throat, shook my head and-

_Jesus, I look like one of those nervous girls getting ready for a big audition at my school's theater. _

I opened the door and, no matter how prepared I could have possibly been, I was still shell-shocked by the sight of Derek there on my front patio. Of course, I immediately did the worst thing I could possibly do for myself at the moment and I found his eyes.

Green, crisp, liquefied like molten jade lava and- alive.

Vivacious even.

I was left in a puzzled daze, as I was used to cold glass windows that were ordinarily barred against anyone. Unless I caught him in a rare moment of a passing smirk, but, even then, he would blink and the openness would be gone. But, despite how alight his orbs were, he wasn't really smiling now. Not really scowling either. In fact, he looked somewhat questioning.

Then I realized that I was staring.

_Do something!_

"Um, good morning?" It came out almost like a question.

_Smooth._

I glanced back at him when he answered me with a grunt and I was put into a state of self- consciousness as he seemed to be studying me. I glanced down at myself, deathly afraid that I had fallen into some nightmare scene where I wasn't wearing any pants. But, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that I was.

Like I said, I wanted to be prepared. Nave blue Chuck Taylors, faded American Eagle capris, a plain baby blue tee-shirt and I was sure that I had brushed the bed head out of my baby fine blonde hair. I looked normal and not like the freak I had been acting like since the moment I met him. So, my stubborn nature reared its head as I found that I was under Derek's scrutiny, again.

"What," I question when he says nothing. He quirks his brow at me.

"So we do have to play this game every day then?"

"What do you-"

"Well, in today's society, it's usually polite to wait before entering someone else's home until you're invited." I blinked a couple times before turning a light shade of red.

"Oh! Right, um, yeah. Come in." I stepped aside and let him pass. He made his way to the kitchen and I followed behind at a good distance, doing my best to recuperate. Derek stopped at the door and turned back to me, brows bent in somewhat of a mock sincerity. I was slightly taken aback for a moment.

"So, no shorts today?" He was teasing, of course and I threw him a look.

"No matter how much the right is mine, when you're expecting someone, you don't go gallivanting around the house in your pajamas." Deciding to play a cool attitude, I nonchalantly sipped at my all but forgotten juice.

Derek's expression was thoughtful before that glint of humor crossed his features. "That's too bad. I liked the shorts."

I choked on my juice.

Derek was through the kitchen door before I could actually start hacking up the OJ that went down the wrong pipe, thank God. But I knew he could hear me. I did my best to make it fast and, as I recovered, I placed my glass in the kitchen sink, then followed Derek out into the backyard.

He was crouched near the edge of the grass line, or what was supposed to be the edge. At this point, it was entirely too chaotic to tell exactly what was salvageable grass and what were weeds.

"So, what's the plan for the day?" I asked him as he pulls a weed from the dirt. The entire root surfaced and he scowled at the plant before tossing it aside and standing.

"First things first. We need to get rid of this jungle. Otherwise, we won't be able to see what really needs improvement. That's why we cleared out all the rocks and garbage yesterday."

It was true. We actually spent just about the whole morning clearing the yard of what didn't belong. One of the reasons I was so sore and nearly sunburnt. Derek had decided by noon that it would be a good idea to call it a day when we finished the task, then start the real work the next day. And he was right. Taking down the safari that was my backyard would take some heavy machinery.

"I doubt a lawnmower will get the job done," Derek says as if reading my mind. He rubs the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Might have to use a weed eater first."

Before I could ask what the hell a weed eater was, Derek was trudging toward the back fence. He pointed to the gate opening from my yard.

"Open up the fence. I'm going to grab some supplies from my place."

I was doing as he said when I noticed that he was hopping the fence from my yard to his. I laughed and stepped onto the walk of the side street and waited for Derek to open his own fence. When he did, I smirked and said, "You know, when someone sees people jumping fences like that, it usually scares the hell out of them."

"Yeah," Derek said, turning to his shed and opening it up. "Well, when someone sees people staring at them through windows, it usually scares the hell out of them too."

I blushed ferociously and bit my tongue against coming back with a defensive comment. Instead, I felt panicked and I quickly changed the subject.

"So what's a weed eater?"

Derek stopped rummaging and looked at me with an, 'Are you serious,' look. I rolled my eyes and motioned towards my yard.

"Does it look like I do yard work and know what you're talking about half of the time?"

Derek snorted and turned back to his shed. After a minute he came up with a long, metal piece of machinery, wrapped in a yellow electrical cord and had a disk-like part connected at the bottom. He flipped the tool upside down and showed me the bottom of the disk. By the name, I was expecting a blade- so that way the grass would actually be cut- but, instead, Derek pointed to a green plastic string assembled to the machine.

"It's a string." I stated blatantly, almost confused. Derek's jaw worked as if he were annoyed. It bothered me of course, but he did have somewhat of a reason. This was what Derek knew and he didn't seem like the kind of person who enjoyed explaining irrelevant things. So, I kept my mouth shut and obediently waited for him to speak.

"When it's plugged in, the _string_ spins, making it somewhat of a blade. At least to grass. If it hits you, it would just sting and leave a welt." I nodded, understanding, then stepped back to allow him back into my yard.

"I'll start at one end," Derek began to explain. "Try to keep a distance. Whatever this thing hits can be sent into any direction and becomes as harmful as the trimmer line."

"The what?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "The string."

"Right."

"Anyways, as I move on, try to pick up anything we missed yesterday. I'm going to hit this place with the lawnmower once I'm finished."

About twenty minutes later, Derek was roughly half way through the yard with the noisy little machine and I had already found several rocks we had missed the day before. It was working- the weed eater. I hadn't seen the grass this short in years. Witnessing how much of a change a simple trim was filled me with an almost giddy excitement. I wanted to do this. I wanted to see my mother's yard back in its former glory. I wanted to see some change in this house.

Abruptly, the sound of the weed eater cut off and I looked up to see Derek swiping off a light sweat from his brow. It was already warm and it was barely eight in the morning.

"Let's take a break," he muttered and propped the tool against one of the few trees. I tossed the rocks in my hand into a pile we had formed yesterday. Derek said he would find a use for them later.

"Do you want anything to dr-" I began to ask as I turned back to the guest working on my yard. However, I froze mid-sentence when my eyes landed on him. I swallowed roughly, feeling my throat go dry once again. My heart sped to a mile a minute and I felt my whole body grow warm.

He had stripped himself of his shirt and was tossing it off to the back patio. My eyes started to wander before I could stop them. I know I had seen him shirtless before, but this time was different. He was close, an arm's length away. As if that made him more- real. His back was to me at the moment, and I watched as he rolled his shoulders. His broad figure flexed in the motion and I nearly had to take a knee from how hot it was getting.

How could I help myself? What, with his large biceps rippling as he shook out the soreness from holding onto the yard tool for a while, and his wide torso teasing with its strict contoured lines. But, it wasn't until he began to turn around that I knew I would be doomed. I shifted my gaze- not without fight- and thought of anything and everything that was unattractive.

Cheesy fake- movie zombies. Someone kicking puppies. Edward Cullen.

I could feel myself notably cooling down and returning my breathing to a regular pattern, but I wasn't necessarily able to focus still. After all, Derek actually grabbed my forearm and me a firm shake to get my attention.

"Huh?" I blurted, the world around me returning. Unfortunately, that meant that Derek was there too. Closer than before. Still shirtless, hands on my arms as if supporting me.

"Chloe? Chloe, are you alright?" He questioned, eyes catching mine, which weren't much better for my concentration. They were so green and filled with an emotion I hadn't seen him express before.

Worry.

"Your pupils are dilated," he murmured almost urgently.

_It's because they're fighting to stay off your body._

"Must not be used to working out here in this heat." Derek noted while slowly turning me towards the house. Gaining back some sense, I tried to tell him I was fine. He didn't buy it and he lead me into the house.

"No, Chloe. You need to drink more fluids. You're showing signs of dehydration."

He urged me towards the dining room table before pulling out a chair and seating me there. He was moving so quick that, in my dazzled state, I was having a hard time following what was going on. I must really be dehydrated.

Suddenly, Derek was in front of me again, kneeling now so that he wasn't towering, and holding a glass of water. I meant to take a sip but wound up drinking the entire glass. At the same time, I did everything in my power to look anywhere than Derek's bare chest.

"Chloe?" Derek questioned. I nodded, avoiding his eyes, cheeks flushing for an entirely different reason than before.

"Thanks, Derek. I think I'm alright now."

"Are you sure?" I could hear the concern in his voice, but I couldn't afford to look at him.

"Yeah, but, um, I think I'm just going to sit here." I raised my glass as I continued. "I'll drink some more water and I'll be back out to help in a bit."

I could sense his hesitation, but, soon enough, he mumbled, "Right," then stood up and slipped back out into the backyard. I waited for the sound of the weed eater going to work to drop my head into hands and moan despairingly.

_I can't believe I nearly had a faint spell because Derek took off his shirt._

"Oh my God," I whine, mortified. Granted, I had been slightly over- heated already, but that didn't help the situation.

I really had to pull it together. I had never been that girl that ogled over a guy the way I have been since Derek showed up. Of course, I had never seen someone like Derek before. Nor had I- as much as I hated to admit it- been so attracted to someone before I met him. Though, it was merely physical attraction. It wasn't as if I was into him or anything.

_I think._

No. He's too blunt. Too mean. Too negative most of the time. And he often found entertainment in my humiliation.

However, he was constantly contradicting all these actions. Like the look he had given me yesterday when I had mentioned something about Mom, as if he understood. Or that humorous glint in his eyes just dying to break out.

And then he pulls something like this. Something I hadn't thought possible of Derek. Acting worried and concerned. For me, of all people. I mean, I had more or less treated him like ass since the moment I met him. And yet, he had immediately dropped the task that had been a top priority in his mind, to assess my petty problems. Sure, I almost fainted, but it was for a superficial reason.

Did I like Derek? Hell, I hardly knew him. I could tell he was smart, but also impatient. He was obviously compassionate towards his family, but insensitive to anyone he didn't trust. But what did he like? What didn't he like? I had a feeling that there was more of the latter, but, how could I really tell?

When the roar of the weed eater died, I checked the clock on the oven and noticed that fifteen minutes had passed since Derek went back to work. I drank one more glass of water before sneaking back out that back door. Derek was off near the shed, picking up some forgotten rocks and tossing them across the yard into our stash. He was still shirtless, but I took a few deep breathes and focused on trying to learn more about Derek himself than his body. The idea was enticing enough, and it helped distract me from the physical attraction.

Derek turned and noticed me when I was about halfway across the yard. I was taking in the area, amazed by how different the yard looked. But, I wouldn't say it looked better. In fact, it wasn't looking too good.

"Hey," Derek grunted. He reached out for the weed eater leaning against the shed and started wrapping the yellow cord around the handle, its job having been completed. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, I am, actually." I was surprised by how confident I sounded. But I went with it, focused on my newer objective. "How did you learn all that, by the way?"

Derek glanced over to me, pausing for a moment to think over my question before shrugging and continuing to wrap up with weed eater.

"I don't know. Television. Movies. Common sense, I suppose. Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not." I mutter, blushing and feeling a little silly for asking.

Getting to know Derek might be tougher than I thought

"Alright, well I finished cutting down the grass," Derek said and I was grateful for the subject change. "But, in case you didn't notice, there isn't much _grass_ here to save."

He was right. There were too many weeds and patches of decay and dirt to even call what little green there was left grass. I suppose that's what happens when you neglect taking care of it for eleven years.

"I thought you said there was a way to save it?" I teased. He scowled at me and I could tell just by his look that he hated being wrong.

"Everything considered," Derek rumbled in an annoyed tone. "The project is more about replacing it now."

"Replacing it?"

"It's not a cheap job, but it's the best shot you've got to having a green yard."

"I'm sure Dad can reimburse you for whatever you spend in order to do what he hired you for."

Derek nodded in agreement and set the weed eater aside to be put away later. "I'll make an order later this afternoon. However, it might take a couple weeks to get the shipment. The local nursery is usually pretty busy this time of year."

"How do you know so much about this stuff?" I ask.

My neighbor's slender, black brow's came together in question and he passed me a perplexed look. Was I really asking that stupid of questions?

"It probably takes less common sense than basic first aid."

I frowned. It wasn't my questions that were the problem. It was his answers.

"Do you usually give this vague of answers?"

"Do you usually ask so many questions?" Derek countered, crossing his arms over his chest. I had to tell myself that it was rude to stare in order to keep from doing just that. I looked him in the eye instead and told him the truth.

"I'm just curious."

He studied me for a moment, as if he's gauging if I'm being serious or not. I was right. He wasn't quick to trust and yet, I found that that was what I wanted.

I wanted him to trust me. I wanted him to talk to me.

Finally, Derek sighed and released his defensive stance. He crouched down to the dirt and picked up some more lost debris and said, "Dad showed Simon and I back when we lived in Albany."

"You moved here from Albany? My Aunt Lauren lives there."

"Yeah," Derek said half-heartedly and chucked a few more rocks to the pile. He sounded almost saddened. I cocked my head to the side and asked, "I take it you didn't want to move?"

"It doesn't really matter where we live," Derek stated with a shrug and I could tell he meant it. So why did he sound so solemn?

"But you must have been a little disappointed. I bet you left behind a few friends." I didn't mean to pry- well, actually I did. It seemed to be the only way I would be able to learn anything about him. But, Derek merely shook his head and brushed his hands off on his cargo shorts.

"Nah. I've got Simon, Dad and, though I'm stuck with her, I've got Tori too." He looks me in the eye then, green orbs crisp with a sense of self conviction. "And that's all I need."

**Well? I decided to keep this chapter short, just to get a judge of how many people are still following. But, I do have a good plot idea set, as well as an overview jotted down for the rest of the story. So, I know what I have to write. I just need the motivation. **

**Review?**

**Don't forget to check out Beautifully Cursed!**


	6. Open Book

**Author's Note- So, I had this written and edited at the beginning of this week, ready to be posted. But then I thought to myself, I had a good plan going when I was writing Rumored to be True and wrote chapters ahead of time, holding them hostage until I felt as if I was far enough on the next chapter before I released it. That way, my updates wouldn't take so long. Well, I'm doing that again, so I'll have you know that I'm working on chapter 7. And chapter 3 of Beautifully Cursed is already finished. I'll update next week… or sooner, depending on the feedback. ;)**

**Open Book**

To say the least, the weekend passed all too slowly, as I was both anticipating and dreading the return of my neighbor on Tuesday. Claiming that I was thinking too much about what he had said almost directly the previous week would be an understatement. It was _all_ I thought about the entire weekend. While my house and everyday surroundings were quiet, my brain was like a summer Saturday at an amusement park. A cluster of noise and voices. Mostly of everything that had come to pass in the last week alone. Especially Derek's statement that was repeating relentlessly like a broken record.

'_I've got Simon, Dad and, though I'm stuck with her, I've got Tori too. And that's all I need.'_

What had he meant by that? Was he unwilling to meet new people? I could see that. But why was he so untrusting? Did he ever make any exceptions? Or was that comment just a hint? I had dug pretty deep with my questions. So was that his way of telling me to back off?

I had so many mixed emotions about that one statement.

I was impressed by him, but disappointed at the same time. I was conflicted, because I wanted him to be independent and right, that you only need the ones you trust, but I also wanted him to be wrong. I wanted so badly to be one of those people that he trusted no matter what.

Why?

Because I was jealous.

I would never admit that to anyone other than myself, but it was true. I was jealous of what Derek had. His family. What did I have? My Aunt and Dad were never home, Mom was gone, and my friends had betrayed me. I wanted what he had.

And, most importantly, I wanted him to be on my list.

By Monday evening, I found myself kneeling at my window, mentally exhausted from over analyzing all this, staring at my disheveled yard. More in particular, I was gazing at the patch of soil that used to be Mom's garden. My chin was resting on my folded arms that lay against the windowsill. The cool night breeze danced through my hair and tickled my face. I wasn't really paying attention to anything. Simply tired and zoned out. I just stared as memories flashed, playing in the yard before me like a movie reel.

Suddenly, there was a loud thunk. Something close and something big. I saw a blur of white out of the corner of my eye and, for a moment, I thought a bird had hit my window.

Still, I jumped back and yelped like a puppy that had just had something thrown at it. Little did I know, that was exactly the case.

I crawled back to the windowsill and stared at the glass still shaking from impact on the side that wasn't open. I looked down into the yard, startled to find a glossy new soccer ball laying there in the patchy, yellow grass.

"What the hell?" I whisper, confused. Where the heck had that come from?

I studied the neighbor's houses adjacent to mine, searching for some rambunctious kids missing a ball. But I knew the Miller's on my left and the Jones' kitty-corner to me had no kids. So, I wasn't entirely shocked to find Derek standing in the middle of his backyard, clad in a pair of gray sweats and- damn him- no shirt, hands stuffed in his pockets, gaze averted like a child pretending to act innocent after he had done something wrong. Something in my stomach fluttered when I saw his green eyes cast my way, almost in an inviting manner.

However, realization dawned upon me, halting my excitement of having Derek acknowledging me outside of his job. I stood and placed my hands on my hips, throwing him a disapproving look.

"What if you had broken my window with that thing?" My favorite little quirk of his lips took action as he answered. "Trust me. Simon and I have done our fair share of breaking things. That ball isn't hard enough, nor was the velocity strong enough."

"And what if you had hit me instead?" I scoffed.

"Huh. Guess I didn't think of that."

I glowered at him. He was toying with me. The bad part, though, was that I actually liked it. Still I continued to stare him down until he lost his patience. Finally, he huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Chloe. I knew what I was doing. I wouldn't have hit you. Now can you help me out and toss the stupid ball back over?"

I fought against my own smile and crossed my arms, deciding to bat him around a little. I learned the other day that I had to pry a bit to get solid information out of him. Like playing twenty questions. If he really wanted me to come outside, he was going to have to say so. But, I knew I was going to have to work for that.

"You're perfectly capable of hopping the fence." Derek's smirk returned and he mimicked my stance.

"You're the one who said that it freaks the neighbors when they see someone jumping fences."

"I also said you were allowed to use the side gate." With that one, Derek's demeanor faltered. Only a little. His jaw tightened just slightly and I could tell that he was getting frustrated. Good. I wasn't going to just get tossed around by him, bending by whatever emotion he was feeling at the time. Whether he was stoic and keeping a distance or concerned and understanding, I was not going to freely ride his emotional rollercoaster, because he sure as hell wasn't riding mine. If he was going to make me work for his answers, then he was going to have to work for my cooperation.

Too my surprise, though, Derek got this look. A cocky one almost. He released his arms from their crossed position and shrugged before trotting up to the fence and climbing over.

"Whatever. I doubt you have any game anyways."

I blinked, taking a second to comprehend what he had just said. Then I blanched and I swear a growl bubbled up from my chest as I glared daggers at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Chloe, you're the most uncoordinated person I've ever met. I find it hard to imagine you even kicking a ball without tripping over it." Derek stated while picking up the instrument that inspired his insults.

"What's so hard about kicking around a ball?"

Was he seriously challenging me? Sure, I haven't played soccer in a while, but it couldn't be that difficult. When Derek gave me a look that said, _'You tell me,'_ then turned back to the fence, I bolted through my bedroom door, hardly thinking through what I was doing. One of the reasons I didn't was because I was too focused on proving him wrong. Not just about this, but every other notion he had about me. Additionally, I wanted to spend time with him that had no relation to work.

When I was staggering out the back door, Derek was just slipping over the other side of the fence. I jogged up to it and clambered up the wooden support beams that were just barely holding the old thing together.

"I'll have you know," I called over to him as I was making my way over the top of the gate. "That my Aunt had signed me up for a soccer team when I was seven, and I played up until my last year of middle school." Granted, I didn't like playing, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

When my feet touched the ground again, I was momentarily preoccupied by the feel of the grass grazing against the skin exposed from my sandals. It was soft and the shade of green was so vibrant and healthy that I was left envious as to why my grass couldn't look like this.

The sleek, white soccer ball invaded my admiration as it rolled up to my feet. I search for Derek's gaze and found that triumphant look on his face, along with that liveliness I had seen a couple days ago.

When I realized why he looked so cocky, I ignored my own pride, not wanting to disturb that excited gleam in his jade orbs and said, "You may think you have me all figured out-"

"I don't." Derek interrupted. "I just applied a theory."

"So, what? I'm like some sort of science project to you?" Derek's smirk broke, but not into his signature scowl. Instead, the corners of his lips pulled up just slightly into a small, crooked smile.

"Something like that."

Before I allowed myself to be mystified by the phenomena of Derek smiling, or the fact of how that small gesture lit up his face and did strange things to my heart- as if I wasn't already having a hard time trying to skip over the idea that he was shirtless- I grinned back, beginning to juggle the ball between my feet.

"Well, my point was that you didn't have to trick me to come out here. You could have just asked."

I kicked the ball forward while Derek processed my words, taking him by surprise. He lunged, trying to get in my way. One thing I learned when I had played was that, if your opponent was bigger than you- considering my size, most were- then you would use that to your advantage. I pivoted one way, psyching Derek into moving that direction, then shot off the other way, veering around Derek as he recovered.

If we were actually playing a game, that would have been my point.

Or so I thought.

Suddenly, Derek was to my right. He shot his foot out and halted the ball before pulling it back and rolling it in the opposite direction.

"Hey!" I shouted accusingly and chased after him.

"You're going to have to do better than that." Derek called back to me, dribbling the ball across the yard. "You seem to know what you're doing and I'm used to playing Simon. So don't think I'll go easy on you."

"Oh please," I mutter, shadowing him and his big ego. It came to my attention that I had caught the two of them out here playing before. Whether it was soccer or football, they were almost always together. I hardly ever saw Derek alone unless he was working. "Where is Simon anyways?" I ask, flitting in front of him and intercepting my target. He curses and instantly turns on the spot, falling into my trail quickly.

"Out. So is Tori and Dad's working late."

I don't reply, concentrating more on twisting and weaving out of every attempt he makes to steal the ball. It made sense that Simon and Tori would be out on a beautiful summer night like this. They seemed to be more social than Derek. But I wasn't judging or complaining. Because, if a guy like Derek was more of a social butterfly, there would be no way I would have this opportunity or see him like this. He almost seemed childlike, hardly as cold and distant as the Derek I had first met.

We continued to play a small game of _'keep away,'_ for nearly ten minutes straight, stealing the ball from one another, neither of us really making a goal. Though, after about two minutes, we weren't really playing by the rules either. Whenever I would take the ball back, Derek would shove at me- lightly of course- and snag it for himself. Then I would swat at him or trip him up before taking it from his possession.

Finally, the two of us collapsed in the middle of the yard, the ball rolling off to the side, forgotten.

"Still think I don't have any game?" I asked as I was attempting to catch my breath. Derek snorted in response.

"You didn't score any points."

"Neither did you."

The two of us remained silent for a while and I stared up at the sky, admiring the first few stars that touched the dark blanket that had enveloped us as we played. All I could think was that I hadn't had that much fun in a long time. Possibly since before Rae and the gang had ditched me back when we started high school, or maybe even before Mom died. It didn't really matter. Because I was here now, laughing more than I ever had and feeling more alive.

"I never thought all that practice would come in handy one day," I laughed. I heard Derek shift in the grass next to me as he asked, "Why did you stop playing?"

I shrugged. "I never really wanted to start. At the time, my Aunt thought it was a good idea."

"She made you do something you didn't want to do?" I looked over at Derek then to find his features set in disapproval, as if he really didn't like the idea.

"Well, let's just say that I wasn't really feeling okay, and it was more like she was trying to get me to do something._ Anything_. Besides, I wasn't exactly listing things I wanted to do or participate in."

"Why didn't she just leave you alone?"

"What do you-"

Before I could finish, Derek propped himself up on his elbow, facing me and holding up his free hand to silence my perplexed questions. His persona took a serious turn and there was a spark of chagrin in his eyes.

"I wasn't going to say anything," He rumbled, his voice low with sincerity. "It's not my right to know. But your father mentioned something while he was going over his itinerary. I know about your mother. And my point is that your Aunt had no reason to shove you into activities while you were upset about the situation. It's normal. Especially when you're that young. She should have given you space and time."

Derek was so earnest and almost angry about the subject, I wondered if he was really talking about me anymore. I had never seen him speak so passionately about something, nor say so much at one time. And, for him to understand that what I had wanted back then was infinite space showed that, though he hardly knew me, he really did have me more figured out than the people who should did. Hell, Dad couldn't ever tell when I was suffocating my disappointment each time he left, yet Derek had been able to see right through me.

However, Derek understanding so well must have also meant that he could relate. When I opened my mouth to ask, Derek sat up abruptly, all the openness he had just been expressing vanishing in a blink of an eye.

"I'm sorry. I know my opinion isn't really necessary." He said quickly, then stood and added, "I should head back inside. Simon and Tori will be home soon."

"Wait!" I blurted, staggering up and lunging after him. Refusing to take the time to think over my actions, I stretch out my hand and catch his shoulder, my palm touching warm, bare skin. He stops and turns to me, brows furrowed in question and eye swimming with something akin to uncertainty.

"Chloe-"

"Wait, Derek," I interrupt, then freeze, desperately searching for something to say. I didn't want him to go. I had so many questions. Aside from that, I didn't want him to leave me alone. Especially if he was going to suddenly close himself up again. I panicked at the thought.

"Take a walk with me." I demanded, releasing my hold from his shoulder. But, instead of losing complete physical contact from him, I allow my fingertips to gently glaze down the length of his arm before resting near his wrist, holding his intense gaze the entire time.

"Please."

For a moment, Derek seemed conflicted, his eyes waging an internal war. He glanced between me, my hand near his and me again. Finally, something seemed to resolve the storm in his orbs and he nodded.

"Alright," He murmured quietly. "Give me a minute."

Derek ran inside his house really fast and came back out wearing a dark shirt. Five minutes later, we were taking our time down the street, observing the dark shapes of the tessellated and organized neighborhood. The silence between us was comfortable enough, but I had too many questions and so much to say. I knew after what Derek said about his opinion, he wouldn't ask again. So that left me to bring it up.

"Mom and I used to spend every day in that backyard." I started, slow and unsure as I've never really talked to anyone about it before. Not even Rae, who had used to be my best friend. And yet, I had this urge to just spill it out. As if, after eleven years of keeping it bottled inside, the emotions were just slamming against the glass, cracking the barrier, desperate for release. I didn't look at him, but I could feel Derek's attentive aura and I continued.

"She would work in her garden and I'd play or hide behind the shed until she found me. Dad would come home from work and kiss her before chasing me around the trees or scooping me up and tossing me into the air. That was always my favorite. I-I had everything a six year old girl could ask for."

I could feel tears welling, but I blinked them back. I refused to cry while explaining this to Derek. I wanted him to know so he could fully understand, more so than he already did. I did not want his sympathy, though.

"One day, I was waiting to be picked up at school. I had some friends that lived here in the neighborhood and I usually played with them by the slides until Mom got there. But, soon enough, they all started heading home with their families and I was left waiting on the curb. I was there so long that I started to wonder if Mom had forgotten about me, though she had never left me before. Then, our neighbor, Mrs. Enright pulled up. Mom had always said that she was the exception to the stranger rule, that I could trust her and, in case she and Dad were busy, she would be there to watch me."

"Mrs. Enright gave me a ride home and whenever I asked a question about Mom, she would come up with a question of her own, jumping around mine. But, she was never a very patient person, so when she finally heard enough of my nagging, she said that my father was taking care of a few things concerning Mom and that my Aunt Lauren was on her way. She still wouldn't tell me what was going on, but her face was a giveaway that something was wrong. I remember being so frustrated and confused by not knowing what was happening."

"When Aunt Lauren showed up later that night, I begged her to help me. I explained to her that both Mom and Dad were gone and that I was scared. Then she told me. I finally got my answers, but, they weren't the ones I wanted to hear."

I paused. We were at the park now, occupying the only two swings as we lazily swayed back and forth. I hadn't once looked at Derek yet, afraid of finding pity where I didn't need any. He remained silent, though, and, after a few deep breathes, I pressed through the worst part.

"She told me that there had been an accident. A pick-up had run a stop light and hit the driver's side of Mom's car. Dad was at the hospital, and my Aunt said that he had refused believe that she was g-gone. To be honest, I can't recall what happened that night. I only know that I was angry and sad. As time went on, I saw less of Dad and more of Aunt Lauren as she constantly visited. After a few months of me hiding from most of reality, she finally approached Dad and said it wasn't healthy, that I needed to get outside and move on. But, she was talking to the wrong man. Even today, I don't think he's ever moved on. So, Aunt Lauren took it upon herself and signed me up for the first thing I didn't kick and scream against. She paid for my soccer lessons up until I was thirteen and finally had the guts to tell her that I hated it."

Finally, I shifted my gaze over to my companion and found him studying his hands clasped in his lap. I could see that he was listening, though, by his body language. His back was slumped and his shoulders were rigid. His expression was steely and a disdainful aura floated about him.

"I think you were right, though," I said, causing Derek to meet my eyes. "They should have given me some space. I had friends and I was young. I still had my entire life to experience and help me cope with the loss without my Aunt shoving me into it. Unlike my father, where his life ended with hers, as if it revolved around her existence."

"Forcing a little girl to move on can cause more damage than allowing her to do what children are naturally programmed to do. If you want to grieve, you should be able to. If someone wants to help, all they have to do is be an ear and listen, then explain that it isn't your fault. That's all you ever needed to hear, Chloe. That it wasn't your fault."

He was right. He held my attention intently as he said this and I wouldn't have believed anyone else if they had uttered the same words unless they expressed as much sincerity and empathy as he had. The mixture of his words and the release I felt threatened to overwhelm me. Whether it's of sadness or a sense of closure, I'm not sure. So I concentrate my thoughts on a different matter, not knowing how I would externally react from this liberation.

"You know, don't you? Because that's what you needed? Someone to understand and allow you to move at your own pace without interfering?"

Derek eyes widen a fraction in surprise.

"What-"

"I know you're Mr. Bae's adopted son. Like you said about my mother, I don't have a right to know. But, the Committee has their way of getting their hands on information, and word spreads around this town fast. Especially when most of the Committee's kids go to high school."

For a second, the astonishment set on Derek's features remained, then his lips curled down into a scowl. Had I crossed a line? I thought that maybe, if I had shared a little, then Derek would open up some more as well.

Did he not trust me enough yet?

"What's the deal with this Committee anyways?"

I sighed.

_Guess not._

"Before you and your father showed up while we were moving in, some prissy blonde woman and this brunette chick come barging in and start discussing the regulations of living in the neighborhood. Then they start talking about meetings and block parties. We'd hardly been here ten minutes and we were already being bombarded with pamphlets on book clubs and neighborhood volunteering."

"You turned them down," I stated evenly and Derek nodded.

"Of course we did. Shouldn't a community be inviting? Because a neighborhood government does not sound inviting."

"The Committee wasn't always like this. The woman you met is Mrs. Enright."

"The lady that watched you when you were waiting for your Aunt?"

"Yeah. She used to live in your house, actually, and she wasn't always the head of the Committee. However, over the past eleven years, I figured that she had always wanted to be."

I watched as Derek tossed this piece of information around in his head until realization dawned upon his features and he gave me an incredulous look.

"Your mother used to be the head of the Committee?"

"Yes. When she was running things, there were no regulations or standards for curb appeal. There weren't any mandatory meetings or anything else ridiculous like that. It was just a way for the neighbors to get to know each other if they wanted to. Like a giant, glorified icebreaker. But, after Mom died, Mrs. Enright took over."

"And she created a false utopia."

"Something like that." I muttered. Derek was absolutely right. This neighborhood used to be a friendly and welcoming place. But now, every little thing was organized and governed. Whether someone was a member or not, this way of living was simply miserable.

"Why do people put up with all that bullshit?" Derek snapped. I shrugged.

"Dad asked her to leave us out of it, thinking she would have some form of sympathy. At first, she kept her distance. But, when Dad neglected to take care of the yard for a few weeks, her and her horde started to hound on us. Soon enough, Mrs. Enright moved down the street, not wanting to be associated with our slobby image."

"What about the friends you have here? You can't seriously tell me they desire being controlled by a bunch of middle-aged women going through menopause."

When he took in my serious look, he snorted and shook his head, turning to survey the shadows of the park.

"These, _'friends,'_ aren't really around anymore, I'm assuming?"

"Nope. Like I said, word goes around fast. There are so many rumors about my father and I, I lost count as well as the care I give for any of them. I suppose I'm like you, in a way. I've got Dad and that's all I need."

Lies, of course, but I didn't want Derek to think that I was pathetic or that it bothered me more than I let on.

Still, he gave me that neutral look, eyes hard with calculation as though he could see right through all the bullshit. Uncomfortable, I quickly cast my eyes elsewhere, unsure of what emotions he might find. After a lengthy silence, I heard Derek suck in a long, audible breath.

"Dad was the first one." He said quietly. I whipped my head in his direction and gave him a perplexed look.

"Derek-"

"Everyone always thought there was something wrong when, really, it was just that no one could comprehend what I was feeling. Dad was the first one who had even an inkling, an idea of what I wanted. He was the first person who understood me. And now-" He met my eyes with something similar to relief and appreciation swimming in his own. "You-"

"Well, well. If it isn't Chloe Saunders." A sharp voice called. Derek and I turned, catching the sight of four figures sauntering our way. The one who spoke- who's voice I'd recognize anywhere- the shorter and slightly stouter silhouette, lead the way. Behind her, I could make out Brady Hirch's big build, much like Derek's, as well as Nate Bozian's lanky form and Liam Malloy's tall and lean figure.

"Great." I muttered, then hopped off the swing and started making my way back towards the street. "Let's go, Derek."

I heard the chains of his swing clank as he got up to follow me.

"Derek? Huh, two surprises in one night." I could hear the smirk in Rachelle Rodger's tone. "It's nice to see you again."

I froze, Derek doing the same beside me. I looked up at him in surprise and question.

"Again?" Derek's brows knit together and he waited for the group to get closer to us so that he could have a better look as to who was addressing him. When Rae came into view, her dark, amber curls vibrant against the glow of the moon as well as the leering look in her brown eyes, Derek's frown fell into a scowl and he snorted, his demeanor taking a form of sarcasm.

"Rachelle."

Said girl slinked closer to Derek, dark orbs flashing from oppression to desire in less than a second. The look she was giving him made my toes curl and an uncomfortable heat boil inside my stomach.

"Come on, Derek. I told you before to call me Rae."

"And I told you before that I'm not interested." Derek stated lowly. It was then that I realized how long it's been since I had witnessed Derek's blunt honesty and, to say the least, I loved that it was directed towards Rae instead of me this time. My questions as to how they knew each other, however, were silenced as I felt the others approaching me instead of Derek like Rae had done. This time, Liam was the one being flanked by the other two.

"Hey, cutie. Haven't seen you since school ended. Where have you been hiding?"

I've dealt with Liam and his predator-like behavior for a long time. Unfortunately, a dark abandoned park was somewhat different than the crowded halls at school. I took a slow step back and swallowed the anxiety that was beginning to bubble up my throat.

"Liam," I acknowledged, keeping my tone light but refusing to hold back the hint of warning that lingered there. "I'm surprised to see you hanging out with these guys. Where's you little sidekick at?"

"Night classes for summer school." Liam stated nonchalantly as he took a step closer. "You know how Ramon's grades are."

"Right, and Russell can't have his son failing if he wants to make a good impression on the head of the Committee. Knowing Ramon, he wouldn't willingly go to summer school."

"Oh, Chloe, I'm touched. You know us so well."

"Unfortunately," I mumble, still backtracking with each attempt he made to get closer to me.

"If that's the case, cutie," Liam said, his tone sadistic and heavy with an almost hunt-like lust. "How come you haven't returned any of my calls? I've missed having my pretty, little Chloe around." A dangerous smile touched his lips and he was close enough to reach out and snag my wrist. I tried to yank myself back, but I wasn't fast enough. I felt Liam's fingers squeeze and I winced, a gasp escaping my lips.

Suddenly and thankfully, Derek was there, standing in front of me, hand grasping Liam's outstretched forearm. He narrowed his eyes threateningly and met Liam's dark blue glower. They were almost the same size, though, Derek was noticeably bigger than Liam.

In reality, if there was to be a fight- and God I prayed that there wouldn't be- Derek was greatly outnumbered and this wouldn't have ended very well. But, Derek had this aura radiating from him that said, _'Try anything and I will take you down. All of you. No matter what.'_

That feeling sent my heart racing even faster than it was already running. Whether it was in fear or relief and admiration that he was even sticking up for me, I wasn't sure.

The vibe being sent Liam's way must have worked. He released his grip on my wrist and retreated a step, not once breaking eye contact with Derek. In the end, though, he wound up smirking, and as Derek wrapped his arm around my shoulders and turned me away from the group, he said, "See you around, Chloe."

Derek was walking so fast, I had to jog a little to keep up. I stole a quick glance at him and I could tell that he was not happy. At all. If I thought his scowl couldn't get any deeper, any more disdainful, I had been painfully wrong.

As we were leaving the park, I took one last look at the group who had just surrounded us. Not only were Liam's intimidating and lustful eyes on me, but so was Rae's furious glare. I swallowed anxiously and pulled myself closer into Derek's side, grateful for the safety and warmth it provided as my two enemy's stares sent shivers down my spine.

**Oh man, some conflict. I feel as if it's a bit rushed, but there's so much to get in if I only want this to be ten chapters. **

**Did you guys enjoy?**

**Well, don't just sit there! Review!**

**Also, please check out Beautifully cursed. Personally, I think that story is turning out better than this one. Mostly because it has my angsty style I just love so very much. :) However, it needs some love. :)**


	7. Revenge Really is Sweet

**Author's Note: Hey! So, I really do have a legitimate excuse for the prolonged update. Between the last time I've updated and today, my computer screen cracked and I couldn't see anything! Now, I could have used another computer, but I already had everything written and saved here. So, I finally bought and installed a new screen and am very happy to be writing again! I've been thinking of this chapter for the last year and I finally got it down on paper! Nothing much else to say.**

**Thanks for your patience and enjoy!**

**Revenge Really is Sweet**

I was rummaging through Derek's toolbox that he had brought over for his particular job today, trying to find an instrument called a wrench. I was struggling, really. Possibly because I didn't know the first thing about tools, but also because my mind was minutely preoccupied by a mess of events that had occurred a few weeks ago. While Derek and I were in a friendly debate, something he said triggered that night to come rushing back to me.

"_Let me guess," Derek rumbled darkly as he lead us onto the sidewalk that followed the direction to our respectful houses, away from the park, Liam, Rae and the others. "Some of your, _'friends,'_ you mentioned earlier?"_

"_Just about most of them," I replied. The eerie, chilling sensation that had arose due to the previous events steadily ebbed out of my system the farther and farther we got from the park. I slowly but surely fell into an almost calm stupor as the warmth radiating from Derek's body enveloped me. Still, no matter how amazing it felt to be tucked into Derek's side, a slightly upsetting fact was nagging at my contentment. _

"_And Rae; you two known each other long?" Derek snorted, no humor emitting from him whatsoever._

"_She would like to think so. She was the girl that came with Mrs. Enright the day we moved in. While the head was hounding Dad, she was hounding me."_

"_Rae's never been capable of taking a hint."_

"_We didn't even give her a hint." Derek muttered disapprovingly. "I'm pretty sure we couldn't have been more direct."_

"_We?"_

"_Apparently, Tori doesn't care for your friend, Rae. At all."_

_I laughed at this and Derek glanced down at me, giving me a perplexed look._

"_I think I'm going to like your sister."_

_The scowl on Derek's features broke for a second, his lips quirking into an all too familiar smirk. The two of us remained silent for a few yards, moseying through the neighborhood now that the air of confrontation had receded. I could sense that Derek was starting to relax now as well, and I would have thought that he would drop his arm and release me from his hold. _

_Only, he didn't._

_I couldn't tell if he was still keeping me close because he wasn't entirely sure if we were out of the line of fire or if he just didn't want to let go. I know for sure that I didn't want him to let go and that thought brought a touch of pink to my cheeks. _

"_Chloe?"_

_I had to crane my neck in order to meet his eyes and I was caught by surprise when I did. His green orbs were filled with such an intense concentration, I wasn't sure if I would be willing to look away even if I wanted to._

"_That guy, the one you said was Liam? He was bothering you, right?" I was slightly puzzled by his question, but I answered cautiously anyways._

"_Liam's always like that."_

_Derek nodded but didn't really respond. When we reached my house he walked me up to the door and, almost reluctantly, removed his arm from my shoulders. I studied him for a moment, perplexed by his struggling expression,looking as if he wanted to say or do something. When a significant amount of time passed and he said nothing, I convinced myself that I must have imagined it and reached for the doorknob._

"_Well, thanks for walking with me, I appreciated it." I murmured quietly, then turned to enter my house._

"_Chloe," Derek said again, quickly this time. I froze when I felt his fingers grazing my wrist, the one that was currently throbbing lightly since Liam had grabbed it. I looked down and saw that Derek was gingerly running his fingers over the slightly swollen skin, sure to be a light purple by morning. _

"_If he bothers you again," Derek says lowly, his tone almost hostile. "Tell me."_

_He was so demanding and serious, his jade eyes holding mine intently, I almost felt transed into nodding my head in agreement._

"_Alright."_

That had been three weeks ago. Since then, I wouldn't say that anything else had really gone down. No encounter with Liam or Rae. No problems with the Committee. However, I wouldn't say that nothing new had happened. Because it was just Derek, me and my disaster of a backyard.

In that time, not only had we made a ton of progress on Mom's yard, but Derek and I had made a ton of progress on our relationship.

For instance, when we had stripped the yard of all the excess grass and left it looking barren and dry, I wound up digging an image of Patrick into the dirt. Derek had rolled his eyes at my childish behavior and snatched up the twig I had used. He then proceeded to write out the formula for photosynthesis and claimed that it was more appropriate seeing as how we would be laying out a new growth of grass within the next couple weeks and would use the very process to smother my revived definition of Mom's lost garden gnome. I laughed and Derek smirked.

And when Derek had brought over his leftover beams from working on his own fence to patch up the gate, I had to operate on his hand with a pair of tweezers to remove the large amount of splinters he had obtained. We had to lean over my kitchen sink, Derek standing behind me with his right arm tucked around my right side, the sun shining through the window aiding as a useful light to see all the brown needles dug deep into his palm. Each time I pulled a splinter from his skin he hissed out a string of curses just above my ear.

"Quit being such a baby," I muttered. I could practically feel my large friend sulking behind me and I had this unnecessary urge to laugh. He was like a ten year old child receiving first aid from his babysitter.

"I told you, I don't really need help with a few splinters. It's no big d- Ouch! Damn it, Chloe!"

"No big deal, huh?" I questioned, glancing back at him with a smirk. "Is that why you're throwing a fit every time I pull one out?" He rolled his eyes and I turned back to my work. "Seriously, Derek, what would you do without me?"

When he didn't answer, I just let it pass and pulled out the last couple of splinters. I gripped Derek's wrist before he could escape, knowing that as soon as he saw what I was about to reach for, he would try. I quickly grabbed the open bottle of peroxide on the counter and hovered it over Derek's hand.

"Hey, what're you- Ah, son of a bitch!"

I bit my tongue, keeping myself from laughing and watched as the peroxide fizzled at the cuts and punctures from the beam's needles. When the chemical died down, I taped some gauze to his hand, wrapping it up tightly so that the incisions wouldn't get infected. Once I was finished, I released his hand and turned around to face him, catching him scowling down at my patchwork before he lifted his gaze to mine and his hard eyes softened. I felt my insides go into hysterics and my face heat up when I realized just how close we were.

"Probably would have left it to bleed and get infected." He muttered.

I cocked my head to the side and gave him a perplexed look. "Huh?"

"That's what I would have done without you." He said, almost in a quick mumble. He glanced away and I could have sworn I had seen a light pink touch his cheeks.

Once the fence was patched up, Derek and I moved on to clean out and repair the shed. This was conducted with a lot of my spazzy behavior, a plethora of squashed variations of insects and me nearly taking out Derek's foot after he taught me how to use a nail gun. We also stained the two wood-related projects, which incidentally resulted in a debate on epic movie quotes after I had referenced Daniel painting the fence and doing all the chores for Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid- the original, mind you. I had been displeased to discover that Derek had little to no taste in good movies, in which I proclaimed that I would have to teach him my ways.

Instead of impatiently rolling his eyes as I had expected him to, he simply smiled and noted that the experience would be interesting.

We tidied up a few minor projects as the days progressed. We trimmed the hedges, where I found a cocoon and Derek found a jar to shelter it in the shed's window until the young caterpillar decided to show its beautiful wings. We took out the old hose and hooked it up to the nozzle connected to the house and promptly washed down the exterior of the establishment of aged grime and bird belongings. We also cleaned the lazy hammock hung between two trees, using soap and the hose to wash the dirt from the fabric and the sun to dry it.

In all this, and our occasional soccer matches in his backyard, Derek and I became closer. Closer than I would have ever imagined possible. I discovered that science and math were his favorite subjects in school, and that, after his senior year at Buffalo High, he was veering towards an Ivy League school to major in physics and possibly become a professor. There were also the discussions of his participation in school sports depending on the season he remained enrolled. He explained that he mostly went out for track and field, but there had been a time where he had been on a soccer team with his brother back when they were younger. When I asked him why he had stopped playing, he said that Simon had become more interested in basketball and, due to all the moving around they did because his dad was a popular lawyer throughout the state, he got tired of trying out for new teams.

Of course, there were the small things that I had learned about him too. I had been correct, initially, that he had more dislikes than interests. However, I had been able to dig enough to know that Derek liked running, anything edible, scary movies, math of course, the color blue and playing sleepless nights of videogames with Simon.

We hadn't really touched the subject about Mom or his adoption since that night weeks ago. I was sure he was going to tell me before we were interrupted. But, I knew that, when he was ready again, he would tell me.

Moreover, in the new light Derek had been casted since we were actually getting along now, I found that my favorite fun fact about him was his love for the outdoors. I had always had this inkling that the outside world was his element, but I had really _seen_ it the day before, when we had finally received the shipment of grass and rolled it out to create an altogether new yard. He was so determined to get everything laid out just right, glowing and radiating excitement in the process and beaming once he took in his finished work. The grass was such a healthy green that the color was absorbed by the rest of the yard and created a vibrant, lively sheen so extravagant that I couldn't believe it was mine. The colors reflected in Derek's satisfied, jade eyes and I couldn't believe that he was mine too.

My- friend, or more than that, I wasn't sure. But he was mine nevertheless.

Even today, as our chore was to repair the sprinkler system, we were throwing meaningless banter back and forth and I knew that I always wanted this. Him. Even if we only remained friends, he was surely becoming a greater companion than Rae ever was.

"You can't be serious."

"Come on, Derek. There's no contest."

"Right. Only agonizing pain and fear of yourself."

"You wouldn't be afraid of yourself if you could raise the dead?" I questioned, finally coming across a match to Derek's earlier description of the wrench he needed. I handed it off to him as he crouched near the main sprinkler head as he gave me a, '_Don't be stupid,_' look.

"I'd be more freaked of my body physically transforming into an animal."

"But you could do so many cool things as an animal."

"And having an army of the dead isn't cool?" I rolled my eyes.

"I've seen enough zombie movies to know that that would not go over well."

"You love zombies." Derek stated factually.

"Good ones. And you love animals."

"Yeah. Doesn't mean I want to be one."

I opened my mouth to retort as Derek twisted a piece at the base of the sprinkler. I was kneeling beside him observing, hardly aware that I was in the line of fire. Suddenly, the sprinkler head popped up and shot a short burst of- warm- rusty smelling water, the spurt catching just below my chin and running down my chest and stomach.

I squealed and leapt up to my feet, staggering away from Derek and the sprinkler. When the shock of the moment subsided, I stammered, "Y-you did that on purpose!"

Gaping down at myself, I found the front of my tank top and green shorts soaked. I tossed Derek a glower just as his slightly surprised look broke into an amused grin. He dropped his head and a short choking sound escaped him, as if he were struggling to bite back a laugh. A laugh I've never heard.

But, I was too frustrated and uncomfortably wet to dwell on this.

"I'm going inside to grab a towel."

Derek nodded, still hiding his entertainment and I guided around him, sulking to the back patio. Just before I reached the sliding glass door, I noticed the unraveled hose connected to the faucet on the back side of the house, left there from when our job had required it. I stole a glance back towards Derek, whose bare back was facing me as he continued to work on the sprinkler. His skin was stretched gloriously over his rib cage and shoulder blades, glistening in a light sweat as a tempting target.

A mischievous grin tugged at my lips.

I tip toed to the hose and snatched it up, bending the rubber material to keep the water from flowing through once I had it running. I reached for the faucet and turned it slowly to the left, wincing when it squeaked audibly. Silently, I crept up behind Derek until I was about a yard away. Slowly, I lifted the hose, taking my aim and lightly placing my thumb over the opening, the taste of sweet revenge dancing across my tongue.

I released the crease and the water spit out of the hose, nailing Derek between the shoulders. As fast as I had let go, I bent the hose again, blocking the flow as Derek shot up and whipped around, incredulousness evident in his eyes.

I smirked at him triumphantly and he raised a slender, black brow disbelievingly.

"Payback is a bitch-" My statement was cut off by a yelp as Derek lunged at me, his own smirk toying with his features. I jumped back and released a wave of water on him. His arms shot out, covering his face as he moved closer. An anxious and giddy giggle bubbled up my throat and I ran, holding the hose out behind me as Derek followed.

"You are so going to regret this." Derek called after me, his tone playful and light and- threatening. My heart skipped in a ridiculous sense of fear. The kind you get when you're young and playing tag with your friends and they're almost close enough to tag you.

I flitted through the trees and ducked under the hammock, my bare feet dancing through the new, fresh grass. Suddenly, the hose caught and I was yanked backwards and pulled to a halt. I glanced down, confused and found that it was at the end of its rope, it's trail pulled as far as it go around the yard.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any time to react, for Derek had been right on my tail. I lifted the hose to slow him down, but he reached out and clasped his hand over mine, his free arm wrapping around my waist as he pulled me into him. He lifted the hose over my head, my arm forced to follow under his grasp and I screamed as he sprayed the water over me.

I struggled against his hold, trying to pull my arm free, pushing with my other arm against his chest, squirming about, only making the downpour worse. But, no matter what I did, Derek remained enclosed around me, grip tight, showering me relentlessly and- laughing.

He was laughing.

I could hear his baritone chuckle echo through my ears and feel it vibrating through his chest. It was so addicting and alluring that I wasn't surprised to find myself laughing too.

"Okay! Okay! I surrender!" I bellowed through giggles. "Derek, cut it out!"

Finally, Derek released my hand and the hose dropped to the ground, sputtering and spitting at our feet. My eyes had been closed, but, once I my hand was free, I wiped at the excess water around them so that I could open them. I was greeted by Derek smile. A full-blown, crooked grin tugging his lips from ear to ear. His gorgeous green eyes were alight with excitement. It was such an invigorating sight, I could feel my insides grow warm and heart dance with content.

Derek and I stayed like that for God knows how long, body's tangled together, eyes locked as our breathing settled and our smiles relaxed. I couldn't ever think of a time I was closer to Derek, his strong, secure arms constricted around me, my own hands placed limply against his chest, our body's dripping from head to toe in water.

After a while, Derek's grin faded, but the excitement in his eyes didn't. His features set in a strict concentration, but his gaze never left mine.

I wouldn't be able to say how or when it started, for I was too focused on how close Derek was and was continuing to get. I could feel his uneven breathes as they fanned across my lips and I recognized how they were in synch with the staggering beat of his heart beneath my palm.

Everything seemed to be moving so fast, and yet, so slow at the same time. And, similar to that contradiction, I both loved and hated it. My body itched to squirm with anticipation and fought to remain absolutely still with patience. But I wanted this. So badly. I just wanted to stretch up and mash my lips against Derek's, taste his slightly pink skin, feel his mouth move against my own. However, I remained motionless, allowing Derek to move at his own pace, in feat that, if I reacted too rashly, I might break the moment.

My lids drooped as he got closer. My breath caught as his nose skimmed across my own. My lips parted as the warmth of his breath raised in temperature. When his lips brushed mine, my knees grew weak and I was so thankful that he had a tight hold of me. He hovered there, unsure, and my fingers tucked against his skin, toes curling into the gentle blades of the crisp grass, flesh eagerly tingling with want.

Then, with an unthinkable amount of tenderness, Derek softly pecked my lower lip. Testing.

Then he did it again.

And again-

By the third peck, I had released a long, satisfied breath just as Derek did and his mouth molded against mine. Just as slow, but deeper and more sure, Derek kissed me. After what had felt like an eternity, I relaxed, allowing my shoulders to go slack and my hands to release from their tense grip and lay limply across his chest. Derek's arms constricted even tighter, holding me firmly to him as his lips lead mine into a synchronized deadlock.

When I couldn't control how much more I wanted, I snapped up onto my toes, glazing my hands over Derek's collarbone and broad shoulders, rising until my arms were wrapped around his neck, pulling him into me.

Like all good things, though, it had to come to an end. Just as my fingers were starting to explore the uncharted territory of his damp, messy- and getting longer- hair, Derek released my lips, cold air rushing in through the space that separated us. However, I refused to let go of the moment and kept my eyes closed, a small smile creeping onto my features.

I relished as I felt the heat of Derek radiate not a few centimeters from my face, meaning that he was still close. I grinned when his fingers touched my cheek, tucking wet hair behind my ear and trailing against my jaw. I sighed, so content that I didn't want this moment to end.

When my desire to see his face outweighed that of preserving this to memory, I opened my eyes to find a sea of green emotions swirl and storm from evident joy to unnecessary worry.

"You lied," I murmured. Derek's brows knit together in question, a tinge of concern dancing through that whir of emotions.

"You said I was going to regret- something. At this point, I don't even remember."

Realization dawned and Derek smiled, releasing a halfhearted snort before he cupped the back of my neck and brought my lips to his once again.

**Aaaah! Well? What do you guys have to say?**

**As a post script, I haven't been entirely unproductive as I waited to get my screen fixed. I drew out the sketch that is now the cover of this fanfiction. I will replace it with the colored version pretty soon, but let me know what you guys think. :) **

**Also, make sure you guys are following the Facebook page under Alasyn Lauren. I'm trying to get it up and running again. :)**

**Review!**


	8. Status

**Author's Note- So yes, there is no longer an excuse for me not to update, and with only three chapters left, I really need to finish this up. With that mission in play, I'm going to hold off on Beautifully Cursed to get this one done. I gotta say, this chapter wasn't what I had in mind for chapter 8. Everything in here was supposed to happen, just not wind up as 5000+ words. But, alas, a lot of you wanted to see Kit, Simon and Tori and their reactions to Derek and Chloe's "friendship." So, chapter 9 will be shorter- about 3000 words- and the final chapter should be pretty long. :) Well, without further ado, here's chapter 8!**

**Make sure you guys follow me on Facebook. This account was created for you guys back when I was writing Rumored to be True. Unfortunately, I let it go. But I went through hell pulling it back up. I'll be able to give you updates in case something as tragic as my computer screen breaking happens again. :p**

**Status **

"Hey, guys. Have you seen the flyers posted around the neighborhood about the block party coming up this Saturday?" Simon questioned.

It had been a week since Derek and I shared that kiss. Since then, you could say that Derek wasn't really doing his job and we didn't exactly make any progress on the yard. But, that didn't mean that progress wasn't made.

For example, the previous Wednesday, we played soccer in my rejuvenated yard, which consisted of more physical contact than usual. When lunch time came and passed, I invited him inside to withhold my prior vows and introduce him to my world.

Movies.

I popped popcorn and we watched the entire Star Wars series until nearly midnight, in the middle of which, Derek performed the oldest play in the book. He reached up and scratched the back of the head, then flexed in a mock stretch and draped his arm on the back of the couch, not entirely placing it over my shoulders. I would later tease him about it, but, in the moment, when I met his eyes and saw the look that wondered, _'Is this okay,' _I knew that he was out of his element and nervous, just as much as I was. So I smiled and scooted closer, tucking myself into his side and leaning against him until he eventually slung his arm over my shoulders.

When he left that night, he leaned in and pecked my cheek, whispering, "Goodnight, Chloe," before he pulled away.

Thursday, we went on a walk for the first time since our confrontation with Rae and Liam weeks before. We avoided the park and walked through the suburbs for hours just talking and joking around. I caught on quicker than getting to know him that he wasn't very good at the whole displays of affection thing. Public or not. But I had to know if he felt the same and comfortable around me as I did with him. As if him kissing me senseless two days before wasn't any indication. So, when he finished telling me an old story of how a chiwawa took a chunk out of his hand when he was younger, I laughed and playfully shoved against him, nonchalantly taking his hand in the process.

I didn't look at him. Just kept my eyes on the ground ahead of us and allowed the moment to hang there, testing. I felt Derek tense in a brief hesitation and I was afraid that I had gone too far. But, as quickly as he stiffened, he relaxed and laced his fingers through mine.

On Fridays, Derek and I didn't usually see each other. But this time he came over around four and asked me if I wanted to catch the new Cowboys vs. Aliens movie.

"I-I know its lame, but I figured you weren't much of a romantic comedy type-"

I interrupted him- as I witnessed the first time Derek had ever stuttered or struggled to get an entire sentence out- and told him that it sounded awesome. But, seeing as how I was wearing lazy sweats and a baggy shirt, I asked him if I could change first.

To say that I went into pointless hysterics within those next twenty minutes would be an understatement. Derek hadn't necessarily asked me on a date, but everyone knows that attending a movie- at a theater- with just two people, of which were of the opposite sex, was clearly a date. So I rushed to change into something other than my regular shorts and a tank top.

The thing was, though, that I didn't have an extravagant closet. The best I had was a pair of skinny jeans, knee high brown boots and a red Christmas sweater I wore whenever Aunt Lauren was around for the holidays.

Unfortunately, it was nearly August and a scorching 98 degrees outside. So the sweater and boots were a no-go. I settled on a baby blue t-shirt with a sweetheart cut and a pair of capris I hadn't worn since the previous summer, so they were a little snug, but, for a lack of better words, classier than every other summer-wear I owned.

I rushed to the bathroom and combed through my hair before struggling with several hairstyles until I gave up and left it down. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I also took an initiative to do something I didn't normally do and applied some mascara and glossy chap stick. When I was finally satisfied- with both my appearance and my pitiful attempts to rest my racing heart- I bounced down the stairs to find Derek lounging on the couch, fingers drumming against his thighs. A nervous habit?

When he met my gaze, he gave me his signature small smile and I knew that I had been absolutely ridiculous upstairs. Yes, this was an unofficial date, but Derek was clearly as new to this as I was and he didn't seem to care about appearances or formalities. If him asking me to a movie was any indication, I'd think he just cared about spending time with me.

Derek walked me back to my door that night after the movie and gave me a quick but sweet kiss goodnight.

Derek had plans with Simon over the weekend and I was sure he hadn't exactly told his family about, well, whatever was going on between him and I when he invited me to dinner the following Monday.

"So, my Dad is making his self-proclaimed famous lasagna and he asked me if I thought you'd like to join us for dinner." Derek stated emotionlessly over the phone.

"Why do you sound so enthused about that," I asked with a laugh. I heard Derek sigh and I could just imagine him doing that thing where he rubs the back of his head or his upper arm when he feels uncomfortable.

"H-He said- He sort of- and Simon got involved- and they-"

"Wait, wait," I interrupted, trying so hard not to explode with laughter as a nervous and displeasured Derek was absolutely hysterical. "You keep cutting yourself off. What exactly did your Dad say?"

"It doesn't matter." Derek rumbled. "You don't have to come. Trust me, Dad's lasagna is not that great."

"I don't know, it sounds like fun. And I can't really decline an offer from your Dad."

Again, Derek sighed.

"I was afraid you'd say something like that."

And here we were, sitting around Mr. Bae's dining room table, enjoying- extremely delicious- lasagna and I honestly couldn't see what Derek had been so worked up about. Every now and then when I would steal a glance at him devouring his food in front of me, I could see him relax just a little, as if he were thinking that he had been ridiculous as well.

"Yeah, I saw those." Kit mentioned in response to Simon's question. He sipped at the coke in his cup and turned to me with a friendly grin. "What's that about, Chloe? Is it a regular thing around here? I'm sure it gets a wonderful turn out."

"Usually," I responded with a halfhearted shrug. "The whole neighborhood normally attends since the Committee hosts it every year."

Simon's nose wrinkled and he frowned. "I'm not sure I want to go anymore if those snobs are running the show."

"Don't be rude, Si." Kit chuckled. "I know the Committee isn't our biggest fans-"

"We outright denied them, Dad," Derek mumbled between mouthfuls of lasagna. "I'm pretty sure we're not even invited."

"There's no formal invitation," Kit continued to press as he remained persistent to back up the Committee. To be honest, Mr. Bae's loyalty confused me. I thought he hadn't wanted to be a part of the Committee. Why the sudden change of heart?

"Dad," Derek stated dryly, staring at him with his brows bent in a perplexity that was similar to my own. "You hate the idea of the Committee."

As Derek said this, Kit tossed a nervous glance my way and retorted, "I may disagree with their government but I-" Derek's brows rising in realization and his amused snort interrupted his Dad and he said, "Chloe hates the Committee too, Dad."

"Oh, thank God," Kit breathed. "That Diane Enright is a piece of work. This woman made so many stereotypical Asian comments that pertained to being beneficial to the community that I nearly stopped the boys from unpacking the truck."

I giggled as Simon and his Dad started to crack up and even Derek chuckled. With that, it seemed as if the uncomfortable atmosphere at the dinner table had disappeared.

Or so I thought.

"Well, until of course, you and Steve came to help us. I apologize, Chloe." Kit laughed nervously. "I was just trying to make a nice impression. I remember Simon giving Derek a hard time for the first crappy impression he made." Derek threw him a look, but I could see a slight tinge of question lingering in his eyes

"Mr. Bae, you don't have to worry about stuff like that." I consoled him. "Besides, that day we first met, you were more welcoming to my father and I than the Committee had ever been for the past eleven years."

Kit smiled gently while Simon nudged me and said, "Yeah, well, it's a good thing Derek was able to redeem himself. I can't imagine the kind of relationship you guys would have if he didn't pull that stick out of his-"

"Simon," Derek warned, eyeing him suspiciously across the table. I just laughed and said, "Derek and I work pretty well together."

"You don't have to tell us." Kit stated, placing his fork on his empty plate. "It's pretty clear."

"What do you-" I started, but I felt Derek's foot nudge my shin and I looked at him, cheeks blazing. Was he really initiating a battle of footsie while we were having dinner with his family? But, when I tried to meet his eyes, I found him giving his Dad a, _'Don't start,'_ look.

"Dad-"

"I think what Dad meant was that your guys' progress shows how well you do, in fact, work together." Simon interrupted.

"Uh-" I was starting to think that the topic of conversation at this dinner table was no longer the work Derek and I had done on my yard.

"Guys, don't-"

"Oh, for God's sake, they're fixed on the two of you being together and don't have the balls to ask what they really want to know. How long have you been dating my brother?"

"Tori!" The three males of the Bae family exclaimed in unison as I choked and forced down a large bite of noodles and piping hot spaghetti sauce.

To be honest, I had nearly forgotten that Tori was sitting beside Derek the whole duration of the dinner. Mostly because I wanted to forget that she was staring at me the entire time.

And now I knew why.

"I-I, um-"

"Don't, Chloe. It's none of their business." Derek said lowly as he shoved away from the table and stood. Kit opened his mouth but closed it and bowed his head. The entire table remained awkwardly silent as Derek made his way around, grabbed my hand and pulled me from the seat.

"Derek, it's no big-"

"Come one," Derek interrupted with a quick whisper, eyes pleading behind a rosy pink hue in his cheeks. I nodded and turned to his family.

"Thanks for dinner. The lasagna was really good, Mr. Bae."

"You're welcome back anytime, hun." Kit said with a sheepish, crooked grin. I smiled and allowed Derek to guide me out the front door.

"See you around, Chloe!" Simon called just before the door closed behind us. I bit back my urge to laugh when I saw Derek's frustrated features. I laced my fingers between his and rushed down the stairs of his porch and followed him onto the sidewalk.

"They're not that bad, Derek."

"Right. Just nosy as all hell." He rumbled.

I thought he was just going to walk me home. Well, he did, but instead of trekking all the way around to my front door, Derek only journeyed to the opening gate that lead into my backyard. He reached over the beams and undid the lock, then pushed it ajar and gestured for me to head inside.

"Glad to know a thief could unlock my gate by simply being a foot taller than me."

Derek snorted. "Nah. That's what hopping the fence is for."

Derek wandered over to the hammock and dropped himself tiredly onto the strong canvas. The seat swayed as his sandals dangled and glided against the healthy, growing grass beneath the swing.

"Listen." He said with a sigh. "My family, they're-" He struggled to find the right word as I sat down beside him and gave him my full attention. "- enthusiastic, I guess. I'm sorry if they made you uncomfortable."

With that, I laughed and Derek tossed me a perplexed look.

"What?"

"They didn't make me uncomfortable, Derek. And I don't know how many times I have to tell you that they aren't that bad. Sure, things got a little awkward for a second, but they're just concerned about you. I'm sure you all do the same to Tori and Simon when they have friends over."

"Not really," Derek mumbled.

"What? Why not?"

"It's stupid." He said, not meeting my eyes. He was staring down at his shorts, fingers toying with a loose string as if forcing a distraction.

"Come one, Derek." I ducked my head to try and catch his eye, but he turned away.

"Nah. It's pretty dumb. Seriously."

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

For the second time, he sighed. I knew he wasn't a big talker, or one to open up that much. But ever since our walk to the park over a month ago, I liked to think that Derek enjoyed that he had me to talk to. To confide in. Even if there were times that I had to pry it out of him.

"It's not a big deal for Simon or Tori to bring friends over. Hell, even Dad brings a girl to the house occasionally."

You would have thought that I might have mumbled a sympathetic, _'Oh,'_ in response, but honestly, that didn't even come to mind. I knew it was rare that Derek made friends, but one that was a girl and was pretty close- as I liked to think so- to him? That idea was almost a phenomenon. So, I had truly been the first friend that Derek had brought to his house, or Derek had let in for the matter. And the idea made me smile.

"They shouldn't have hounded you like that. And pressuring you about our relationship? It's none of their business whether we are together or not. I-I mean, I know we're not but-"

"We haven't really talked about it ourselves." I finished for him. I wasn't sure if that was what he was going to say, but it was true. Derek and I had been acting like a typical High School couple just exploring the new boundaries held between one another. Movies, walks, dinner with his family? What did that make us? Tori had been under the impression that we were dating. We were, weren't we? Nothing had been discussed. No lines had been drawn. Was our relationship less or more than simply dating?

If anything, this all didn't just start with the kiss last week. It had started back when I had decided to give Derek a second chance. I knew I liked him back then. And now I knew I liked him even more. But we had slowly been getting close, slowly building up to an important bond that I wasn't willing to let go of anytime soon. So, despite a physical change between us, nothing seemed any different. Maybe that was why we hadn't discussed a _'status,'_ before. And, until Derek's family had brought it up, I didn't really think that it needed discussing.

I wanted to relay this epiphany to Derek, but he was a guy who needed to go at his own pace when it came to these kinds of things. He may be pretty brainy when it came to math and physics, he may even be outgoing when it came to sports and physical activity, but Derek was not ready to be boyfriend material. Not yet, at least. He needed time.

We both did.

"Derek, don't worry about what your family thinks. They're nosy, yes, but they're sweet. As corny as it sounds, they want the best for you." He nodded before he snorted indifferently and shook his head.

"I guess that means they didn't scare you away if you ever wanted to come over again?"

"Nothing could scare me away from your Dad's lasagna. You undersold it."

"Yeah," Derek chuckled and I watched as his shoulders finally relaxed. "Simon's never going to leave me alone now that I stormed out."

"Let him squirm then." I laughed.

Derek shook his head, his small smile playing with his lips as he leaned back into the hammock, body supported by his propped up elbows.

"It took me a little bit to get used to him, but once I trusted Simon, I told him everything. He would have to dig it out of me first, but it made things easier. Made coping and change easier."

"What do you mean?"

Derek glanced up at me, green eyes light and trusting. It was incredible how, not long ago, he used to look at me so darkly with those eyes. And now, Derek was just as brooding as ever, but he just wasn't the same closed, up tight person. He was willing to be open, to be heard and allow someone to break through all the barriers he's been building for years.

"Dad adopted me when I was five. And to disclaim anything your overdramatic movie brain could come up with, I didn't live in a filthy orphanage with abusive attendees, nor do I remember what happened to my parents."

I gave him a mock pout and he rolled his eyes. Honestly, though, I was a little relieved to know that Derek didn't have a sad childhood.

When he looked reluctant to continue, I pulled my feet up onto the hammock and crossed my legs, showing him that I was attentive and willing to listen.

"When Dad took me home, I wasn't exactly the most outgoing or friendliest kid."

"No," I breathed and Derek gave me a pointed look. I mimicked zipping my lips closed and allowed him to continue.

"The kids at the home were pretty territorial and, every time I wound up back at the orphanage whenever a family decided they didn't want me, they became relentless and they often bullied me. After a while, I just didn't care anymore. They would tease and take my things, but I didn't let it show that it bothered me. When they wouldn't let me play with any of their toys, I taught myself to read and write- sort of. Whenever they called me names or pushed me around, I'd just walk away, knowing that, one day, a family would pick me up again and keep me."

"But, since I didn't trust easily and kept to myself most of the time, every family that thought they could change that gave up and thought there was something psychologically wrong with me. Until Kit, Simon and Tori showed up, of course. Dad adopted me and gave me space, which was exactly what I needed to cope and get used to a new home. Simon didn't though. He was so persistent to get me to play or draw or whatever that I had to deal with putting up with him, just so that he would leave me alone in the long run. Tori didn't like that someone else was getting Dad's attention, so she hated me, of course, but Simon didn't care. He just had a new friend."

"Eventually, so did I."

By the time Derek finished, he was stretched out across the hammock, me still sitting cross-legged beside him. He was staring up at the sky through the small canopy that held the hammock off the ground. Sure, Derek didn't have a sad childhood, just a rough one. It wasn't something he was afraid of sharing, but, it was extremely personal and, as he explained, Simon was his only friend that he had ever explained this to.

So, for him to tell me his story, if it meant a lot to me, then it must have meant the world to Derek.

"Well, if Simon continues to badger you, tell him things are slow."

Derek didn't want my pity or sympathy on the matter of his orphan years. I knew that. So, I was just going to leave it where it lay and address what Derek was currently worried about.

What was he supposed to tell Simon when he insisted on knowing what was going on between Derek and me?

"There's no rush in any of this and if he wants to know what's going on so bad, he's going to have to wait in line behind us."

Derek studied me for a second, turning what I just said over in his head. It wasn't just an answer to give to Simon, but an answer I was giving myself. There was no pressure in what Derek and I were doing. We had the rest of the summer and, if Derek enrolled into Buffalo High, we had our entire senior year to figure things out.

I opened my mouth to add that bit, but stopped when Derek sat up, once again propping his weight against his elbow. His eyes held mine in earnest as he lifted his free hand, fingers brushing gingerly across my cheek. My breath caught and I kept still, watching as Derek's gaze roamed over my features. He swept feathery strands of my hair out of my eyes and trailed his touch across my temple and along the length of my jaw. I resisted the consistent urge of shivers that threatened at Derek's very tough, and fought vainly to steady the uneven thrum of my heart. My ears started to ring as Derek cupped the back of my neck and soon all I could hear was his breathing. Steady. Strong. Sure. He moved closer and I allowed his grip to guide me to lean in. I closed my eyes as our lips touched and sighed.

This kiss was different from the others. Where the first was treading the shallow end and our small dates resulted in minimal physical contact, this was more confident and just as thrilling. I reached for Derek, fingers glancing across his collar bone and wrapping around his neck, pulling him to me as his mouth moved against mine. He snagged my lower lip, rolling it between his own as his hand slipped from its position on the back of my neck down my shoulder blades and along my waist. He gripped my side as I lightly trailed the tip of my tongue around the outline of his upper lip.

At this, Derek sucked in a deep breath and his arm shot around my waist. I gasped and, before I knew it, my back was against the hammock, Derek's weight hovering over mine as his arm cradled me and his lips mashed roughly against my own. I quickly recovered and wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers through his surprisingly soft, onyx locks.

I felt my skin burn through every nerve ending that Derek touched. My lips that were slowly swelling due to our feverish war for dominance, my hips and back being ravished my his hands, my legs tangled amongst his and my fingers wherever the lingering devils touched his bare skin. His neck, his jaw, his upper arm and a spot on his hip just beneath the hem of his shirt.

In an unspoken mutual agreement of a tie in this battle of lip lock, Derek and I pulled apart, panting and shivering in a chill caused by pleasurable heat. His dark, jade eyes were on fire with exhilaration and- and that's all I could see. All I could concentrate on as my breathing slowed.

I made to speak, most likely some halfhearted, smartass remark to defuse the possibility of an awkward silence after the best make out session of my life, when a cat call sounded in place of my voice. The soft sound was surprisingly loud as it shattered the blessed world Derek and I had slipped into and shoved us back into reality. We both snapped our gazes to the back fence where Simon casually lounged, goofy grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Simon," Derek rumbled darkly and, if I didn't know any better, I would have sworn his voice was more of a growl that came from deep within his chest.

"Hey, I was just trying to return something to my dear friend, Chloe. While you were so busy storming out of the house, Chloe left her scarf on the coat hanger. How was I to know you two would be sucking face?"

I blushed a deep crimson and ducked my head against Derek's chest.

"How did you know we were in her backyard?" Derek questioned, tone more annoyed now than anything.

"I may or may not have seen you guys through the bedroom window." I could practically hear the smug, indifferent shrug in his voice. I wasn't looking, but Derek shifted and, judging by Simon chuckling as if they had spoken an inside joke, I assumed that Derek had flipped him the bird and was shooing him off.

"Simon, did you ask her if I could borrow it?" A new voice asked. "I'd hate to admit it but, neighbor girl has good taste."

"For the love of-" Derek groaned and I peeked my head out of hiding in time to see Tori's head pop over the top of the fence next to Simon.

"Simon, what're you-" She started to protest before she spotted Derek and I in our tangled position. Her nose wrinkled and she quickly dropped off the beam she was standing on to see over the gate with complaints that sounded like, "Oh, gross! Take that stuff inside, Frankenstein!"

"Frankenstein?" I questioned. But Derek's frown was starting to form into a scowl as he glared daggers in Simon's direction.

Taking his hint a little too late, Simon chirped, "I'll leave your scarf on the fence, Chloe."

"Thanks, Simon," I mumbled against Derek's chest, still too embarrassed to look at him.

After a minute, Derek maneuvered himself off of me and laid at my side on the hammock. I wiggled until I was snug and comfortable against Derek's side, sliding my arm over his chest and keeping my legs intertwined with his.

When I met his annoyed eyes I forced an amused smile.

"Guess you don't have to explain much now." Derek rolled his eyes and looked down at me.

"That's going to get real obnoxious."

"Don't worry about him." I reached up and pecked his lips briefly until his body slacked and his hand guided limply towards my hip. He let it lay there, his thumb idly rubbing circles into the fabric of my shirt.

"Besides," I mumbled contentedly, eyes scanning over the dark shapes of my yard. My new, rejuvenated, lively and repaired to good health yard. "He and your Dad were right about one thing."

"Doubt it," Derek muttered. I nodded my head for him to take a look for himself.

"We really do work well together."

Derek smirked and replied, "Yeah, well, we still have plenty of work to do around here."

"Of course, but, you have to admit, you never would have guessed this place used to be a safari of weeds and junk."

I noticed Derek study the yard briefly, doing that thing where he analyzes anything and everything he still needed to get done, how and when he was going to do it and what the outcome of these projects would be. It was one of those moments where I thought that Derek's way of thinking was completely incredible. To me, I honestly didn't think that there was much left that we had to do. The yard was in great condition and looked even more amazing than I could have ever imagined since Dad and I had let it go for all those years. Almost good enough to win one of those fancy, Home Magazine contests if I wanted to enter it.

It was then that a light bulb blinked on in my head.

"Hey, I was just thinking." I said quickly, pulling Derek's attention away from his job. "We should go to the block party on Saturday."

"What?" Derek blanched, slender brows furrowing in disbelief. "But you hate-"

"I know. I know." I interrupted. "I do hate the Committee and the black party is usually a waste of time. But, that's exactly why I want to go."

"You lost me."

"Well, they do this block party every year, and every year they hold this _'Best of the Best,'_ contest for who has the neighborhood's nicest yard."

When Derek continued to look at me as if I had grown a second head, I pressed on to explain.

"This yard has gone through such a major makeover that I think that, if we entered it into the contest, that alone will give it a huge lead over the usual winner."

"Let me guess. The usual winner is-"

"Diane Enright. How awesome would it be if we totally kicked her ass at her own block party and her own contest?"

Derek's smirk returned. "Sounds like years of karma adding up."

"So, you're in?"

"Course."

I beamed and settled back into his side, casting my gaze up through the trees to the dark sky he was watching earlier. After a few minutes of silence I found myself yawning and my eyes were starting to droop. I hadn't realized just how tired this entire evening had made me. Derek remained silent beside me and, even though he didn't show or say anything, his relaxed aura meant that he felt the same.

Instead of suggesting that we call it a night and head to bed- it was only 7:30- I rested my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift in and out of consciousness. I felt Derek's arms constrict tighter around me and I smiled lazily.

Sure, we didn't have everything between us figured out. But, if Derek and I could remain just like this, just simple, then I didn't care how long it took to put a status on what we were.

For the time being, I was feeling pretty damn good. And I hoped that Derek felt the same.

**Finally. Edited and approved. It's not everything I dreamed of for this chapter, but it came out pretty well for what it's worth. :)**

**You guys did such an amazing job reviewing for the last chapter! Keep making me happy? :) If so, we'll see about another Wednesday update. ;) **


	9. Block Party

**Author's Note- Didn't quite get the turn out I wanted for chapter 8, but I'm glad to hear that you guys loved it. :) I'm driven to get this story done before Christmas AND, as a Christmas- Or whatever your holiday preference- present, I would love to update Beautifully Cursed. But, let's just get one thing done at a time. :)**

**Also, you guys got lucky. Even though I completely scrapped the first draft and re-wrote this chapter- which is why it's a week late, by the way- I was able to add something to this chapter so that it would be a lot longer than expected. _alicelover520_ stated in her review that she couldn't wait to see Tori using Chloe as her own, personal Barbie doll and, well, that gave me an idea that fit rather well with the plot. So, even though this story was originally dedicated to _Madamemouse_- who still has yet to update her amazing story, Rocky Road, that, if you haven't read it yet, you most definitely should- I want to give this chapter to _alicelover520_. Check out her Darkest Powers fic as well and tell her I sent you. It's pretty good. :) **

**Now, Let's start wrapping this story up. :)**

**Block Party**

Waking up Saturday was almost as exciting as waking every day that Derek had to work. I didn't even get mad at my alarm clock for going off at seven in the morning. Instead, I thought of the look of disbelief on Mrs. Enright's face once I took her _'Best of the Best,'_ placard for the nicest yard in the community. That and the idea that I would get to spend the entire day with my closest friend was enough motivation to drag me out of bed.

Derek had been pretty busy all week, explaining that he had this project he was working on at home for his Dad and that he wanted it finished before this weekend. He came over to touch up the yard and prepare it for the contest at the block party, but usually only stayed until lunch. It was plenty of time to reorganize the shed, mow the lawn, and surround the patch of soil that used to be a garden with the rocks we had picked from the grass jungle back when we had first started.

When it came down to the finished product, where the yard only needed to remain cared for and groomed every now and then, I found myself feeling somewhat nostalgic. It was like I had stepped into a time machine and travelled back eleven years, watching my younger self squeal and run around the yard trying to escape this big, bad monster Dad was pretending to be as Mom picked the weeds out of her garden. I smiled at her memory, admiring how beautiful she was with her golden locks and dancing blue eyes. I even remembered the summer dress she wore occasionally. Spaghetti straps, forest green and simple. It was my favorite dress of hers because, no matter how messy I got it by playing with her in the yard, it always magically washed out and made Mommy look all the more pretty.

Just as I was thinking about how much I would love to wear a dress like that for this special occasion, my doorbell rang, sending my stomach into a fit of hysterics. Derek wasn't supposed to show up until nine, though. At least, that was our plan.

I wasn't really dressed appropriately, but Derek had seen worse. At least I was wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt. I simply ran my fingers through my hair as I made my way downstairs. As my foot touched the last step, the front door jumped as it was bombarded with a series of impatient, pounding knocks.

What was Derek's rush this morning anyways?

"Okay, okay, Mr. Irritable, I'm coming." I snapped and pulled the door open. I froze as it wasn't Derek I found at the door.

"T-Tori?"

Said girl stood there on my front porch, one hand on her hip, the other dangling at her side as her fingers drummed impatiently against her perfectly tanned, toned and exposed thigh. She was wearing ankle-high, silver gladiator sandals, short black shorts and a strapless red, empire waist blouse. Her hair was perfectly spiked in all directions, looking sassy and pixie-like and her complexion was evenly coated with a reasonable amount of nude make-up. Annoyed by my incoherent capabilities, her slender, dark brow rose a fraction of an inch in question.

"Is this how you greet all your guests, princess?"

"I-I thought you were-"

"Well, I'm not. So, are you going to let me in or not?" I had to remember that Tori had a pretty snarky-don't-waste-my-time-assuming-I-care-what-you-think, personality, which meant that, no matter what I did, she didn't give a rat's ass nor were her remarks personal. I remember Derek explaining to me once that, if Tori wanted it to be personal, I would know it immediately.

I stepped aside and allowed her entrance, still mostly confused as to why she was here in the first place.

As if she read my mind, Tori proclaimed, "I need to see your closet."

"Excuse me?" I asked, perplexed, watching her take in the sights of my small and adequate home. If she had been facing me, I'm sure I would have seen her eyes role in annoyance.

"Your closet. I need to see how you suburban folk dress for these kinds of things."

_Suburban folk?_

"Why don't you just wear what you have on?" I questioned.

"I plan to." Tori explained as she faced me once she finished looking around the entry and the adjacent guest room. "Doesn't mean I don't want to see the competition." Taking in my appearance, her nose did that disgusted wrinkle thing and she said, "God, I hope _that's_ not what you're wearing."

I stole a quick glance at my- very comfortable, mind you- sweats and frowned.

"Of course not. I just woke up."

Tori shrugged before she lunged at me and grabbed my arm. I yelped at her suddenness and followed her, completely dumbfounded, as she dragged me up the stairs of my own house.

"Tori, what-"

"If we're going to be hanging around each other, I can't have you making me look bad." Tori stated. When we reached the top of the stairs, she turned left instead of right towards my bedroom.

"Hanging around-"

Tori interrupted me again with a frustrated huff.

"Keep with the program, princess. You're dating my brother. I have to make sure you're alright first."

"Derek and I aren't-"

"Oh, please." Tori stopped in her seemingly non-negotiable quest and gave me a pointed look. "You like him, don't you? Because, if you're just stringing him along-"

For the first time, I was the one to interrupt as I blurted in surprise, "I'm n-not- I mean, o-of course I like him."

"And he likes you," Tori said with a half-hearted shrug. "Which is astonishing, really. Derek doesn't normally like anyone."

"I figured as much."

"No, you don't know him that well yet, but Derek never trusts anyone. I'm sure he's told you, but he was bullied pretty bad when he wasn't such a Frankenstein. And, even now, considering he's not very open and is quite a big guy, there wasn't really an exception to the rule when everyone thought that there was something wrong with him or that he was shady. Until he met you."

"He never told me about-"

"The shit he has to go through now? Yeah, it's no walk in the park."

"But, wait," I muttered, something contrary to what Tori was telling me coming to mind. "What about Rae? She's completely infatuated with him."

Tori's face twisted in disgust. I had almost forgotten that she wasn't on great terms with Rae since they met the first day Tori had moved in. I didn't really know what had gone down between them, but something told me that I didn't want to get involved.

"Rachelle isn't any different than any other girl that's tailed my brother. They either think they can change him, you know, the whole cliché, bad-boy melting into putty for the, _'right girl,'_ or whatever, or they were just trying to get on good terms with Simon by being friendly with his outcast brother."

I felt my features set in dismay and experienced this odd, and possibly irrational, sense of anger boil in the pit of my stomach.

"He's not a toy," I whispered harshly, mostly to myself, but Tori heard and nodded.

"And if you turn out to be like the rest of them, Chloe, I'll personally make your life a living hell." She stated, her tone so threatening that it sent a wave of chills down my spine. She turned away from me to continue on her previous trek to find me something to wear, but stopped abruptly and faced me again, eyes still hard and serious. "Same goes for if you mention that I said any of this to either of my brothers."

At that, I laughed and agreed that this conversation was our secret. Funny enough, the idea of sharing a secret with Tori was pleasant. After all, I hadn't really talked like this with anyone- other than Derek- since Rae and I had stopped talking. It was nice to think that, even though Tori and I were complete opposites, maybe she and I could become friends.

When Tori finally seemed certain that I was going to keep my mouth shut, she trudged down the hall and opened the door to the storage room. When she realized that this wasn't the room she was looking for- I assumed she was looking for mine- she gave me an incredulous look and asked, "What is this?"

"The storage room?" It came out as more of a question than an answer. I mean, the room _was_ full of old boxes and picture frames, and I wasn't exactly sure what she had expected in the first place.

"I fought tooth and nail for the second master bedroom in my house. Hello! My own bathroom. Why is yours full of boxes?" Tori questioned as if it were totally ridiculous that this wasn't, in fact, my bedroom.

"We needed the extra space for things we didn't need." I mumbled. "It doesn't matter, really. I like my room, and I have my own bathroom."

"Yeah, down the hall."

I shook my head in amusement and gestured for her to follow me to my actual room. Truth be told, the room used to be Mom and Dad's before she died. When she passed, Dad couldn't handle being in there alone. So, he moved his things into the other master and left Mom's stuff there in boxes. I just kept my nursery and painted it a different color. Neither my Dad nor I complained about our living quarters. We simply had a silent mutual agreement.

But, I wasn't quite friendly enough with Tori to explain all that.

* * *

><p>When Tori discovered that I didn't have more to wear than my nicest skinny jeans or my Christmas sweater, she swore I was going to be her biggest and most complicated <em>project<em> to date. Whatever that meant, I wasn't sure I liked the sound of it. However, I still tagged along when she finalized- without much of my consent- that I would be wearing some of her clothes until she took me shopping.

Making our way over to her and Derek's house, she rambled on notes in an almost one-sided conversation that sounded mostly like, "We're lucky it's summer. You and I might be the same size, but I'm clearly taller, so jeans won't work. You wear shorts all the time, so we should go for something different seeing as how this is quite the social outing. A skirt? I have this navy blue that would go well with your boots- No. Too easy. But we do need to show off those legs and maybe even get them some sun. You're as pale as a ghost-" And so on.

I was only half tuned to Tori's musings as I surveyed the neighborhood, observing as the community was abuzz with duties to get ready for the block party. It seemed as if most of my neighbors were doing some fine-tuning to their yards for the same contest I was entering while few were actually putting up the familiar, wooden announcement stage in the center of the cul-de-sac that lay adjacent to my house, as well as the regular, kiddy favorite, bounce house and snow cone machines. Mrs. Enright was so in tune with Buffalo that she acquired several venders to attend, bringing about their businesses ranging from state fair games to auctions and expensive lemonade to sugary kettle corn.

I knew the block party had always been a big event, but I had never attended enough to know that it was so over the top.

Tori lost me when she started to discuss accessories as she burst through the door of her own home, her mission seeming to be the only thing on her mind. Even as Derek came through the swinging kitchen door at the end of the hall and exclaimed, "Tori, what the-" Before his eyes flit to mine and widened in even more surprise, Tori simply cut him off and stated, "Back off, lover boy. She's mine for the morning."

_Way to make me sound like the family's favorite toy._

"I was going to pick her up in an hour."

_I'm standing right here._

"Whatever. For now, though, she doesn't need any distractions. She needs to focus on the task at hand. So don't get in my way. You're not the only who can make friends here, you know?"

_Focus? How hard is it to put clothes on?_

"What? Liz got tired of being your Barbie, so now you have to torture Chloe?"

_Barbie?_

"Why don't you just mind your own business? Besides, part of this is for you too."

_Are they always like this?_

"Chloe looks fine the way she is."

_Ah, that's sweet, even if I just rolled out of bed a half an hour ago._

"You're so clueless, Derek."

"At least I'm not pointless."

_Jeez, is this ever going to end? It's like watching a never-ending tennis match._

"Oh, I have a point. And I'm going to prove it- right after breakfast. Chloe, you hungry?"

_I am kind of hungry. I didn't have my Captain Crunch this morning._

"You're not going into the kitchen, Tori."

"Like hell I'm not."

_Why won't he let her in the kitchen? It's her house too._

"Simon's in there, taking care of business."

_Business? What kind of private business could be done in a kitchen?_

"Please, like I haven't seen it before?"

_What? Maybe I don't want to know about this,_ 'business.'

"He doesn't want you in there."

"Seventeen years I've been living with him and he's just now sending big bro out to be his body guard. I'm pretty sure he doesn't give a fu-"

"Well I do, Tori!"

_What is with Derek this morning?_

I watched, mind swimming with questions and concern, as I went from annoyed that the two were talking about me as if I wasn't even there, then amused when they both took a defensive position, arms identically and stubbornly crossed as they threw back wave after wave of sibling banter, and then confused and worried as Derek's arms dropped to his sides, fists clenching and unclenching, body a literal wall that blocked Tori and I from seeing whatever it was Simon was doing in the kitchen.

"You're such a dick," Tori muttered angrily, then grabbed my wrist- once again- and pulled me towards the stairs. "If you're going to be like that, then bring us some damn pop tarts or something."

Before I could see Derek's reaction, which I was sure wasn't much, he disappeared as we ascended the staircase I hadn't touched since I nearly plummeted to my embarrassing doom almost two months ago. However, I was still perplexed by Derek's behavior. Judging by how Tori handled it, it was normal for them to fight and understandable for her to just walk away from the situation and leave Derek be. I had never seen Derek so set in his ways. Not even when we had shared our first words right on these very steps. I had been the one with the last word and it was evident that Derek had realized that he was in the wrong. But, based on what he had told me about his past, if something was up, he liked better to be left alone. So, Tori was smart enough to let it go. Only, what exactly was it that she was giving up a chance to fight on? Was what Simon was doing in the kitchen really that important that he needed a little privacy? Couldn't he have just taking care of his business in his room then? Or was there something else going on that Derek didn't want us knowing about?

"Is Derek okay?" I finally asked, sick of running through the millions of questions filtering through my head when Tori knew Derek better than I did and would have more reasonable answers than what I could come up with.

"He's fine," Tori rumbled in displeasure, still clearly peeved by her confrontation with her brother. "He's been like this all week, though. Grumpier than usual and not afraid to push Simon and I around. And, frankly, I'm too sick of it to care."

"What's he so frustrated about?" I wondered aloud, not really asking for Tori's input and, after she answered, I was sure I didn't even want it at all.

"Probably because your old chum, Rachelle won't leave him alone."

"W-what?" Her comment hit me like a brick wall. Hard and unexpected. What did she mean Rae wouldn't leave him alone?

"Yeah. Her little curls have been bouncing around here just about every other day this week, '_double checking,' _on whether we were aware that we were invited to today's block party. More like making sure Derek finally emerges from his dark, mysterious cave to a social outing."

"D-Derek said no, r-right?" I knew the answer. _I knew_. I had seen the way Derek had blown Rae off. Even stated that he wasn't interested- more than once! But, something about the entire situation bothered me. Not that Rae was badgering him. That was expected. Not that I thought Derek would agree to do anything with or within a ten feet vicinity of her.

It was that he hadn't told me.

"I'm sure if he had even graced her with his presence he would have just slammed the door in her face. However, Simon's more polite and I like making her squirm. So, we informed her appropriately that Derek was going with someone else. Well- Simon did."

I nodded, following her into her room- which was the twin of my storage room- and hiding my attempt to calm my racing heart and unnecessary nerves. So Derek hadn't told me. He didn't even see her when she came to pester him about the Committee's upcoming event. So, it was more than likely that he didn't care enough to think that it was a big deal to make a complaint about it. Sure, it annoyed the hell out of him and made him grouchy, but that didn't mean that he had to relay this information to me.

And who was I to demand to know about his life outside of him and I. Yes, I would very much like to know a lot more about Derek, but I wasn't his girlfriend. He was still working with the idea of trusting me over everyone else he's pushed away.

So, if he could go against his very nature and have a remarkable faith in me, then I would trust him as well.

* * *

><p>Finally, nine o'clock rolled around and Tori was finished having her way with me. In a fashion sense. She told me I could wait up for Derek in his room and that she would tell him that I was ready to head out for the block party. It was easy maneuvering myself through a house that was replica of my own, and I knew from back when Derek caught me spying on him that he had the same room that I did. I wasn't in any hurry to get down the hall, though and the plethora of family pictures lining the walls made cause of a reasonable distraction.<p>

There were a few recent pictures. Simon and Derek holding up soccer trophies and Tori in extravagant gowns for what I assumed to be her previous school's formal dances. But, the ones that really caught my eye were the time sake photos of them as kids. There was one of Tori and Simon fighting over a pale in an old sandbox, in which, Simon looked to be losing, judging by the small crocodile tears welling in his almond shaped eyes. They couldn't have been more than three. Then there was the obvious, generic school photos, one of Tori missing a tooth and one of Simon sticking his tongue out at the camera.

But, I think my favorite was a picture just outside Derek's bedroom of him and Simon, where Simon was grinning from ear to ear, his arm thrown around a small boy with a mop of black locks and green, annoyed eyes that glanced over at his new brother as if he really wanted to punch the strange blonde in the face for touching him. It couldn't have been much longer after Derek had been adopted.

The sight of Derek in an annoyed pout caused giggles to bubble up and escape my lips. Just as I laughed, a deep voice confirmed my previous theories at what age the two boys had to be in the photo.

"That's Simon's birthday. He had just turned six. I wasn't quite used to his- rambunctious personality yet."

I hadn't expected Derek and the sound of his voice caused me to jump and squeak incoherently. I tossed him a look over my shoulder and muttered, "You snuck up on me."

"That's what you get for laughing at me."

"I-I wasn't-"

Derek smirked as I stuttered through an explanation as to why I was laughing at the picture. However, he saved himself and I from the blabbering mess spilling from my mouth and ducked his head, capturing my lips in a sweet, quick and ginger kiss. I sighed and smiled as he shifted closer, shivering as his fingers grazed my waist and nodding slowly when he murmured, "I see you survived Tori's torture chamber."

"It wasn't so bad." I whispered. I wasn't lying either. Based on the impression they had left me with their argument downstairs, I had been afraid that Tori might actually dress me like a Barbie doll. I had to interrupt her when she bounced back into her ramblings on what I could wear and tell her that I liked to keep things simple. Reluctantly, she agreed, but she had been able to work with our compromise. She found a mid-thigh length, baby blue summer dress she hadn't worn since the previous year- which was possible a good thing, seeing as how I wasn't as developed as she currently was- and it fit rather snug and comfortably. I denied all her ideas for accessories, but allowed her to experiment with my make-up. She kept it clean, using similar nude eye shadow to what she was wearing, a light layer of mascara and clear lip gloss. She even pinched my cheeks to make them naturally rosy.

Finally, she fiddled with my hair, but settled on simply braiding the bangs I had been growing out since I had mistakenly cut them back when I had been a freshman and pulled it back into a clip, creating a small halo around my temple.

"You look very nice." Derek said and my smile grew.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Derek and I were making our way through the animated crowd of attendees that astonishingly enjoyed the Committee's most overrated event. After a few minutes of being pushed, cut off and shoved around, I heard Derek's low chuckle beside me as he grabbed my hand.<p>

"Are you trying to get lost?" He questioned.

"It's not my fault everyone here is rude and pushy," I mumbled, pulling myself closer to him so I wouldn't, in fact, be lost among the ruckus.

"It's not their fault that no one can see you." Derek teased, tone light. Way different from that of this morning when he had yelled at Tori. I voiced this fact to him and he shrugged, smirk tugging at his lips.

"Tori and I are always like that. There's always an argument. With Simon, it's more of trying to get the best burn against each other. With me, it's mostly about trying to prove she's right, even when she isn't."

"You and Tori might not be related, but you're both just as stubborn," I stated, taking my turn to poke fun at him. That statement made him scowl and I laughed.

"And, with me, there's always an argument unless you know I'm right."

"You're not right. Tori and I are polar opposites." Derek replied weakly, knowing full well that he had no chance in winning this one.

"Not according to your unresponsiveness a minute ago. You ad Tori are more alike than you care to face."

"Whatever," Derek mumbled half-heartedly. I relished in a silent victory and surveyed the area around us. Everyone seemed so elated and happy. Parents guiding their children to game or food stations, kids running around with balloon animals and face paint, couples young and old observing the different vendors as they remained close with various forms of physical contact. The environment just felt so friendly and welcome.

It reminded me of when Mom had used to be in charge of the annual block party.

Back then, nothing could break the aura of content that surrounded the people of our small community.

Now, however-

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention?" Mrs. Enright's sturdy voice rang over the bustle of the neighborhood. I glanced towards the center of the cul-de-sac and found her standing atop the wooden, make-shift stage with a blow horn and a clip board in her hands. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes and ditch the inevitable of Diane and the Committee ruining this supposed, _'carefree,'_ occasion and gestured for Derek to listen, knowing that this is what we were doing here in the first place.

"I have here," Mrs. Enright began, raising her primped and manicured hand that held the clipboard up in the air for everyone to see. "- The sign-up sheet for this year's Best of the Best curb appeal contest." The sound of a mild and polite clap purred through the crowd as an acknowledgement for one of the Committee's biggest events. Mrs. Enright smiled her sickly, fake sweet smile, ruby red and unnaturally young lips quirking in a confidence that I only hoped to shake once I took the award she was only assuming she would win.

"The rules are simple. You will open your gates to the community and allow your fellow neighbors to vote on whose yard is more appealing and welcoming. I'm sure everyone who wishes to enter has brushed up on the additional requirement and is prepared for judging immediately. I'll leave the list here and the names listed will be observed in no more than a half an hour. A call for luck is in order, for, whoever participates will be competing against a six year winning streak of yours truly." Diane laughed as if she had told a joke at a wine tasting party then stepped down from the stage, allowing a few daring souls to approach and relieve her of the sign- up sheet. She passed them a dishonestly encouraging smile and made her way to whatever it was that evil-head-of-Committee-bitches did until the contest was ready to start.

"What do you think she meant by additional requirements?" I questioned, bringing my attention back to the green-eyed boy beside me. He shrugged, eyes on the stage still as if watching for an opening to go and sign us up.

"Don't know. Probably something stupid, like a freshly mown lawn. Which we have." He looked at me then and gave me a surprisingly triumphant smirk. "You shouldn't have to worry about it. If this contest is up to a vote by the community, the sheer shock everyone will receive just seeing you sign up will give you some major bonus points."

Derek's confidence in me was an extra push just to get my name on that list. I wanted to beat Mrs. Enright. I really, really wanted to beat her. But I wanted to show off Derek's hard work too. Living in an appearance crazed neighborhood like this could give Derek some great business and help him out in his dream to get into an Ivy League school. I knew that, after today, everyone would want Derek's talents.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I beamed. "Let's go kick some Committee ass."

Derek chuckled and pulled me back as I started for the stage. I gave him a perplexed look and he explained, "Let me. I'll go sign us up, you grab us some hotdogs or something."

"Didn't you just have breakfast an hour ago?"

Derek tossed me a, _'Come on, Chloe, you know better than that,' _look and I laughed. Derek could eat breakfast three times and still be hungry.

"I have to run back to my house to do something really quick anyways. I figure, by the time I'm done, you'll almost be at the front of one of these crazy lines." Derek said. I wrinkled my nose in displeasure.

"You make it sound like I'm doing all the hard work." Derek rolled his eyes and squeezed my hand before he let me go.

"I'll be back in a bit."

Derek disappeared into the crowd and I sighed.

_Damn. Looks like I'm going to have to find a line now. _

Just as I found a decent sized wait for overpriced burgers and cotton candy, I was rudely bumped from the side. I quickly turned to see the jerk that had barreled into me but, when I met almond shaped eyes and a brilliant, apologetic smile, I relaxed, allowing my tense shoulders to slack and my own smile to tug at my lips.

"Hey, Simon."

"Whoa, I'm so sorry, Chloe. I didn't see you. This party must be a pretty big deal if it drives people to be this pushy." Simon's voice rose a little at the end and his attention was not directed towards me, but a retreating older man who threw him a glare before vanishing among the herd of excited people. I was assuming that the old grump was the reason why Simon had run into me.

"Anyways," Simon mumbled, returning to his cheerful self. "I don't know about, _'big deal,_' but this block thing is crazy. I never would have imagined that the Committee would go this big." I nodded in agreement.

"It's all show, really. They just want to portray that we're a big, happy and connected community, when the neighborhood is far from. It's a power thing."

"For what exactly? I mean, why play government? Don't we already get enough from the one we're lawed to abide in order to live in this country?"

"The Committee gets sponsored and often the members join the chamber of commerce, which means they make decisions for Buffalo. From there-"

"They can work their way up to state. Like a political food chain." Simon concluded.

"Exactly."

"Why does this sound like a plot for world domination?"

I laughed and shook my head in amusement, knowing full well that something as silly as the Committee would never go that far. But, I wouldn't be surprised if Russell ever became a congressman or Diane the secretary of state.

Deciding that I didn't like that idea too much, I changed the subject and gestured to the stand I was currently standing in line for.

"I'm waiting to get Derek and I some cotton candy. Do you want some?" However, though Simon smiled thankfully, he declined my offer.

"Nah. I can't have any."

I cocked my head to the side, brows knitting together as I gave him a perplexed look.

"Can't?"

"It's not like I need permission or anything," Simon backtracked, tone slightly nervous as if he had said the wrong thing. "It's more like, my body doesn't need it."

This time, instead of being confused, I laughed a little nervously and subconsciously rubbed my arm. "Well, it's okay to have sweets sometimes."

His comment made me think about how much junk I ate and it was starting to leave me feeling a little discouraged. My expression must have shown it because Simon instantly threw his hands up, as if in surrender and exclaimed, "No, no, no! I-I didn't mean it like that!"

At this point, I was just lost as to what it was exactly he was trying to say and Simon sighed, knowing this fact.

"It's something I don't usually like telling people, because I don't want them to treat me differently."

"If it's personal, you don't have to-"

"No, it's alright," Simon interrupted. He gave me a gentle smile and said, "Look, Derek trusts you. Which, really, is like a sign of the apocalypse. And I like you, so I trust you too. Since I can tell you're going to be around a lot, you should know. I can't have things like cotton candy because I'm diabetic. It's not a big deal, I just have to watch my blood sugar."

I nodded simply and a realization dawned upon me. This must have been what Derek had been arguing with Tori over this morning. Simon was taking care of some business in the kitchen and Derek wanted him to be left alone. Simon must have been checking his blood pressure.

Just to confirm that I wasn't making assumptions, I asked him, so that I could fully understand how careful Simon had to be and wouldn't further embarrass myself by asking him if he wanted a sugar loaded lemonade next.

"Do you have to prick your finger or anything like that? Derek said you were doing something in the kitchen this morning and wanted to be left alone. Now that I know, I figure that's what you were doing?"

Simon gave me a confused look. "Yeah, I usually have to check up on that kind of stuff, but, Chloe, I wasn't in the kitchen this morning. Derek wouldn't let me in. Said something about the freezer defrosting and the floor was flooded so he was cleaning it up."

_What?_

I frowned, not really sure how I was feeling at the moment. Confused? Yes. But, there was something else akin to a mixture of concern and frustration. Why had Derek lied to Tori this morning? Why did he lie to Simon? If the freezer story was true, he would have just told Tori the same thing. Something about this entire thing just didn't seem right.

If Derek was so big on trust, then why was I catching him in these lies?

I knew one thing, for sure. I wasn't going to stop until I found out.

* * *

><p>Roughly fifteen minutes later, I finally detached from the line with a burger and a small bag of cotton candy in hand. Derek had yet to return but I remembered him telling me that he had to stop by his house first.<p>

I hated that I thought this, but had that been a lie as well?

I didn't want to think of Derek as dishonest. I wanted to keep that light of him where I knew he was gentle, smart, blunt, stubborn and just- him. I wanted to know that he was a trustworthy person and, until now, I always thought he was. I could depend on him to speak his mind, the truth. But now-

I rounded the corner of his street and made my way to cut through Derek's front yard to reach his porch. However, the sight I met left me frozen in my tracks and I could have sworn that, far away, I heard something shatter.

_A glass? A window maybe?_

I stared, mind checking out and unable to comprehend this image. There, in front of his opened door, stood Derek, Rae wrapped around his neck, her lips mashed firmly against his as his hands gripped her shoulders.

_No, that was the sound of my heart. _

It took the longest and most agonizing second of my life for everything to click and for me to react. I would love to say that, as soon as I realized why Derek had been so absent all week and why he had lied me and his siblings this morning, I threw the ketchup loaded hamburger and hit the two of them square in their lip-locked faces. However, shock was the first thing I felt and I lunged back across the yard and behind Derek's fence that faced the cul-de-sac instead. I bit back any emotional sound that fought to escape my lips. I was experiencing so many feelings that I wasn't sure if it would be a scream or a sob.

Just as I glued my back to the gate, hands gripping desperately at the flat surface, I heard Derek lowly mumble, "I don't have time for this, Rachelle."

"Why?" She snapped back, "Got to hurry and get back to babysitting your boss' little girl?"

"Don't," Derek replied, his voice so low I couldn't dissect the emotions in it.

"I really don't understand why you continue to entertain her and her little fantasies. Why bother when you have something ten times better? Smarter, prettier and way more experienced. Name one thing Chloe has that I don't."

If I didn't think that my heart could sink any lower, then I had been desperately hoping that Derek wouldn't miss a beat in answering to her request. Only, he didn't. He didn't say a word and I knew I wouldn't be able to handle any more of this. Frankly, I was surprised I was able to process this much. There was more going on with Rae's constant visits that Tori- unless she gained some sick enjoyment out of seeing me naively throwing myself at her brother- had been unaware of and there was no flood in Derek's kitchen this morning.

Just a conniving, backstabbing bitch that Derek was keeping a secret relationship with.

Finally, anger became the dominant emotion and all I wanted was to go home, scream until my heart didn't hurt anymore, then crawl into bed and remain dormant until school started. I pushed away from the fence and held back tears that were threatening to well.

_Not before you're home, Chloe. Not out here. _

I quickly walked along the gate that separated the street from Derek's and my yard, desperate to escape the party, Derek's lies and this day. I was about to pass the part in the fence that opened as the entrance to my lawn when the gate flew open, a tall, blonde woman stepping out onto the sidewalk and closing it behind her. I back peddled before I could run into her, then stared at her in question, my anger towards Derek leaking into my words as I demanded, "Mrs. Enright? What are you doing here?"

"Well, well. Chloe Saunders. It's been quite a while since we've talk, hasn't it?"

I really wasn't in the mood so I didn't care to acknowledge that she had just spoken due to the fact that her words weren't the ones I was looking for.

"What were you doing in my yard?"

Seeing that I was intent on getting strait to the point, Diane dropped her fake smile and smirked. It was one that expressed that she truly thought she was better than me if not most of the people in this neighborhood.

"I saw that you put your name on the list to be reviewed for the contest and the sight peeked my interest. You see, Chloe, I've been hearing rumors. Miss Rogers just loves to speak of the boy who's been helping you rehabilitate your Mother's old yard."

The mention of Rae and Derek made my gut twist in discomfort and a wave of disappointing sadness ran through me.

_No. Not here. Not in front of her._

"Since I deem new comers to be qualified for this contest, I had to make sure that all the requirements were met for a valid entry."

"It doesn't matter. I don't-" I was going to explain that I didn't care about the contest anymore. She could have her stupid trophy, I didn't want it. But she held up her finger and her slim brows twitched in frustration.

"I wasn't finished talking, Chloe. Haven't you ever been taught that it's rude to interrupt."

My eyes narrowed. Half because I was daring her not to go where she was heading and half because I knew she would anyways and it was only going to make how I felt at the moment worse.

"Don't," I said through gritted teeth.

"I suppose you haven't. It must be hard, having to learn important life lessons all on your own."

"Mind your own business," I snapped. Mrs. Enright's eyes glowed. Brown, furious and relentless.

"Such a rude child. Jennifer would be so disappointed in you."

I bit back a gasp and struggled against the breath that dared to escape. The effort almost made me cough out the resistance, as if she had just punched me in the gut instead of slandered me with her insensitive words.

"You know what else would just break your mother's heart? That pathetic excuse for a yard," Diane stated coldly, gesturing behind her towards my lawn. I kept my mouth shut and stared angrily at the ground between us.

_Don't let her win, Chloe._

"You may have given it a makeover, but the garden is a pile of rocks and dirt. It's a disgrace and a demerit against the requirements."

_Don't give her the satisfaction._

"You're disqualified, Chloe."

_Don't you dare cry._

"Maybe next year, you can show me and your Mother's memory in this Committee some more respect and take this competition a little more seriously."

I didn't look at her. I didn't speak. I didn't even dare to allow myself to feel as she walked away, heals clicking exceptionally loud on the asphalt as she did. I just kept still, telling myself over and over to remain emotionless, a neutral party, that her words would sting less.

But it wasn't working. And the next voice I heard only made it worse.

"Chloe?"

_No. Please, no. I can't face him right now._

"What the hell was that all about?" Derek questioned behind me, anger filtering into his tone. He must have heard most of what Mrs. Enright had said.

_I need to get away. _

I needed to get inside, I couldn't handle anymore. I was near my breaking point and the feel of Derek's warm fingers brushing against my wrist only made my chest throb with hurt and discomfort.

It wasn't supposed to feel so good. So supportive and right. Not after all he's done. Not when he was half of the problem.

So, I finally reacted.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, yanking my hand away from his touch before I returned to my brisk mission to get home and away from everything.

"Chloe, What're you-"

"Don't talk to me either."

"Why are you snapping at me? I didn't know Mrs. Enright was going to be so anal about the competition. It's not my fault that a perfectly decent yard isn't up to her standards or that she disrespected your Mother. If anything, you should be furious with her-"

"This has nothing to do with any of that. You lied to me."

"What?" Derek barked. Now he was following me, seeing as how I wasn't going to stop to have this argument and he was adamant on understanding what was going on with me. Funny, I didn't think he would care so much.

"What are you going on about," Derek questioned, annoyance and frustration evident in his tone. "I've never lied to you."

I snorted humorlessly, not even bothering to look at him. I just kept moving.

"I know I'm not your girlfriend. I don't own you and you don't owe me anything. But I thought you respected me enough to at least be honest with me."

Derek grabbed my upper arm and stopped me just before my porch. His grip was firm, which meant that I wasn't going to escape, but I still refused to look at him. If I did, I- I would more than likely break down, right there in front of him. And, just like with Mrs. Enright, I wasn't going to him that satisfaction.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Derek demanded, his aura similar to that of the time we first talked on his staircase, back when he was threatening me to leave him and his family alone. "I've always been honest with you, more than anyone else I've ever met."

He sounded pissed.

"So, I'm sure you're going to stick to the concept of you working on some project all week? The reason you weren't around so much unless you were working?"

"I don't have to spend every waking moment with you, Chloe. You had a point, you're not my girlfriend."

I winced, both because the comment stung and his fingers were starting to tighten around my forearm.

"And when were you going to tell me that Rae had been stopping by, paying you multiple visits? I thought you told me you weren't-"

"Chloe, I didn't think any of that mattered. She's nothing but an annoyance. Do you even hear yourself right now-"

He was throwing this all on me. Making me sound as if I were obsessed with how he spent his every second without me and that wasn't fair. How could he cover himself up and make me out as the bad guy? Was his relationship with Rae really that important to hide? If so, then what did I have to do with any of this? Rae had a valuable point. Why was he still feeding the idea that he liked me when it was so clear that he was about someone else?

Well, I was done. I wasn't going to let him push me around this situation anymore. And I wasn't about to let him continue to lie to me.

"I saw you kissing her." I spat, interrupting him and throwing him the angriest and disappointed glare I could muster among all the pain and sadness.

I finally met his green eyes and knew I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They went wide in surprise and his grip loosened just enough for me to pull my arm free and back away from him.

"Chloe, I swear. It wasn't like that." He stated evenly, eyes refusing to release mine, earnest and begging for me to trust him. I wanted to. God, I wanted this all to be a horrible, awful dream.

But it wasn't.

"I don't believe you," I muttered in a small and exhausted voice.

Derek's brows knit together angrily and he stepped closer. "You really think that I would ever-"

"It doesn't matter what I think," I shouted, stepping away from his advance. He stopped and lowered his arms to his sides, fists clenching. "There's nothing I can do. I-I just wish you hadn't lead me on."

"Chloe, I didn't-"

"The yard looks great." I interrupted. I took in a deep, uneven breath. A pathetic attempt to control the sobs that wanted to break free and rein back the tears that had already shed, really, but I was tired. Tired of the party, of Diane and of Derek. I just wanted to go inside and work towards forgetting that this summer had ever happened. So, I put on my most professional and unemotional face and said, "I'm sure my Dad will be happy. I'll let him know of all the extra expenses you put into your work and he'll send you a check when he gets home in a few weeks."

"Chloe-" I didn't bother to hear what he had to say next. I simply turned away from him and ran up to my door. I shoved it open, lunged inside and slammed it closed behind me.

This time, I didn't shut Derek out because I was surprised to see him on my porch, but because I didn't want to see him there and wish I never had.

**Wow. So, dramatic right? And 8,000+ words? This is an early Christmas present if I don't get a chance to update the last chapter before next Tuesday. If that's the case, Merry Christmas- or, again, whatever holiday preference- and I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**Do I get presents too? I do love my reviews. ;)**


	10. The Truth Hurts

**Author's Note- I know I was hoping to get this final chapter out by Christmas, however, I was home the last two weeks and I just couldn't find the time. I'm really happy that I got to be with my family for the holidays, but I'm also pretty ecstatic about finishing up this story! :)**

**I have to say, for only ten chapters, this story has been a long road. I mean, a year and a half? To be honest, it's been a rough road. For me, that last year and a half was where I made a bunch of life changing decisions. And I'm glad I was able to share with you guys while I progressed and grew up.**

**My point is that I want to thank everyone for being supportive and following this story until the end. **

**(I told you I would finish it ;P) **

**There are way too many of you- nearly 300 reviews and 100+ followers- to thank you all individually. So my gratitude is this chapter. I hope you enjoy and continue to follow my work. I'll be cracking down on Beautifully Cursed next. :)**

**Love you guys! Please enjoy.**

**The Truth Hurts**

_Pull yourself together, Chloe._

I continued to tell myself to buck up, to get over it, to be stronger than _that_ girl. But, all in vain, I was embarrassed to admit.

The truth? I was shattered. I shouldn't be but, I couldn't help it. I was the one that allowed Derek to take his time in our relationship. Just as new to everything as he was, I thought it would have been better to put less pressure on something so new and fragile. But, now I just thought that maybe I should have demanded what he wanted out of what was going on between us. That way, I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up or allowed him to string me along when he clearly had other ideas with Rae.

And, because he wasn't my boyfriend, he wasn't obligated to choose me over her. And that was what had me crushed into a million, pathetic, self- pitying pieces. The fact that he had to keep it a secret that he would pick having her, trusting her and sharing with her a bond he had no interest in keeping just between us.

So, for the past couple of hours- it could have been days, I didn't really care- I just sat there, back pressed against the front door ever since I had shut it on Derek's face, knees pulled to my chest, eyes puffy and red, cheeks stained in long since shed tears. I wasn't crying anymore, having doing so until I felt numb. I got so tired of just balling my eyes out that my thoughts finally became coherent and I knew it was really my fault that I felt so hurt.

I had been the one that had opened up. I had allowed Derek in, to trust and feel and share and I- I just felt so stupid. I should have followed my first instinct, pegging Derek as someone who didn't care about others. I could see how much he cared for his family, but, I had thought that he had cared that much for me too and really, I knew nothing about him or what he felt no matter how much I thought I understood him.

_How could you be such an idiot?_

I'm sure another hour or two passed as that became the center of my thoughts. Everything I had done wrong to get myself hurt. And soon, I just got tired of it. I wouldn't say I was done feeling upset or sorry for myself. Just sick of sitting there and crying about it.

So, I stood and wiped at my face. I glanced at my reflection in the window beside the front door and surprisingly thanked Tori for her waterproof mascara. When I was slightly satisfied that I didn't look I had been balling on and on for hours, I grabbed my sweatshirt from the coat hanger and threw the front door open, no purpose or certain desire in mind, just wanting to get out of the house.

It was nearly dusk and the sky was pink in light of the setting sun. I took a deep breath of nuke warm, late July air and started walking. I just walked. I didn't know where I was going nor did I care. I just wanted to go.

I decided to turn right when I reached Constance Ave. Instead of left towards the cul-de-sac and Derek's house. I'm sure the block party was coming to a close by now, but I didn't want to be anywhere near Derek, Diane, Rae or anybody for the matter. And, considering that everyone would be finishing up with their festivities, I figured that the park would be abandoned and open for business.

By the time I got to the park, the sun had set and the neighborhood was deathly silent, save for a few singing crickets. I was grateful for the peace that the area offered me. It was a little more settling than being around the empty house knowing that Derek was just a few yards away and that I was alone in a home that I used to be able to run up the stairs to Mom's room and confide in her.

I wandered over towards the swings and slumped into one of the simple, banana shaped devices. I allowed my feet to dangle, my toes grazing gingerly against the pebbles that layered the playground. I repeated over and over to keep control of my emotions at the moment, for I was on the verge of slipping back into the wreck I had been a mere twenty minutes ago. I was under the impression that telling myself to be strong was keeping me from breaking down again and that was good. Progress. But, in reality, who could I be kidding? I was by myself at a park in the early hours of the evening convincing my emotions that I was better than all this, which was clearly the biggest cliché in all romantic tragedies.

I huffed angrily and kicked at the rocks below me, my light swaying unpleasantly disturbed by the movement. As the pebbles I had defaced settled, the sound of them bouncing against each other did not. I frowned and listened, hearing the soft disruption sounding from behind. I glanced back, squinting in the dark to make out a light silhouette approaching slowly. My heart skipped a beat, finding the figure large and cautious and I was afraid that it was Derek. I didn't once think that it might have been a stranger and that willingly coming to the park in the dark had put my safety in danger. Just simply that I didn't want to see or talk to _him_.

I made to get up and spit out something that sounded like, _'Leave me alone, Derek,' _before the hands of the shadow shot up in surrender, the figure instantly downsized into something just a hint smaller than Derek's.

"Hey, it's just me. Sorry, uh, I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

My brows knit together questioningly, as he was the last person I planned on running into- ever, really. Not since Derek and I had been at this very park nearly a month before. After the conflict we had run into and Derek's clear protection and caution against the idea, I just naively allowed myself to believe that he and I wouldn't meet again. I didn't really consider seeing him at school either.

That was stupid.

"L-Liam? What are you d-doing here?"

My eyes focused and his person became clear in the limited light of the park. Tall, not quite as big as Derek, long, dirty blonde hair pulled back into a pony and dark blue eyes, surprisingly, empathetic instead of sharp with a light leer and cockiness about them. He dropped his arms and shoved his hands nonchalantly into the pockets of his dark- washed jeans. He shrugged as a response to my question, not really looking at me as he did so.

His aura seemed so bi-polar of his actual personality that I nearly raised a brow in skepticism. However, I was too emotionally exhausted to delve into the freaky mysteries of Liam Malloy. So, I turned away from him, slouched back into my swing and mumbled, "Not now, Liam. I'm not in the mood."

There were a few light crunches beneath his feet as he continued to move. To my displeasure, they were getting louder instead of decreasing. I just sat there, choosing that it was best to ignore him until he lost interest and decided to ditch me. Unfortunately, he did the opposite.

Soon enough, he was right behind me, lightly taking hold of the chains of the swing, just above where my hands sat lazily, and tugging back ever-so-slightly before he let go. I remained still, questioning whether he was up to something or just simply being freaky. As the swing pulled forward, the momentum brought me back to him until his fingers gingerly touched my hips and pushed me again.

"I'll admit that it wasn't any of my business, but you don't deserve to be treated the way you were today. You know, back at the block party."

My chest seized; half in the reminder of events just as I was finding Liam a strange distraction and half from utter perplexity and incredulousness due to the tender tone of his words. He seemed- regretful, almost. Sympathetic and understanding even. To say the least, his current demeanor surprised me as I had never seen him behave in a way that wasn't willing to do anything to get what he wanted.

"I was walking home, not really interested in the stupid block party when I saw you and Mrs. Enright by your house. I heard what she said and, I was going to do something but, your boyfriend showed up. So I backed off."

I had been so worked up about catching Derek with Rae and then suffering through Diane's sinister words that I hadn't even noticed the rest of the block party going on, let alone that Liam was within hearing distance of the entire fiasco.

"And then you guys started arguing and I couldn't help myself. I had to make sure that you were alright."

"What did you say to him," I quarreled, wondering what it was he had done to Derek after I shut him out hours ago. I felt stupid for possessing concern that Liam might have made the situation worse than what it already was. He shouldn't have gotten involved, though. He had been right to begin with that none of this was any of his business.

Suddenly, Liam clasped his hands on the chains again and I stopped swinging. I glanced back at him just as he lowered himself to meet my eye level with wide, sincere blue eyes.

"I swear, I didn't go anywhere near him. I don't care about that asshole. I care about you."

"W-what?"

My stomach squirmed uncomfortably and I could feel my heart beating like a racing rabbit. I stared at him, dazed and troubled, anxiety arising at the very sound of his voice as he said those words. I didn't understand. I've never thought it fathomable to see Liam Malloy- arrogant, cocky and scary Liam Malloy- so grounded, open or- dare I say- sweet.

Was this sweet?

"Listen, Chloe. I know it may be hard to believe, but I really do like you. A lot. And I apologize if I've ever come off too strong. Mostly, I just try to impress the guys. You know, show Ramon I'm not the pushover he thinks I am every time he catches me staring at you."

"L-Liam, I-I-" What the hell was I supposed to say? For the majority of high school I've lived in a slight fear of being alone with Liam. Even now, deep down, I could feel in my gut that something wasn't right. But, for him- for God's sake, this was _Liam_- to admit something so personal and almost coyly as if he were embarrassed, either something didn't fit or this was the real Liam.

"I'm aware that you might have trust issues now, after what that jerk did to you. But I'm not Souza and I'm not that backstabbing, bitch Rachelle either. If it means that I have to look like a sucker in front of the guys too, then let me show you that I mean it." He seemed so earnest that I wouldn't be surprised if I were dreaming all this up in my movie-fanatic noggin right now.

But why would I dream about something like this? It wasn't like I had mutual feelings for Liam. In fact, his first impression was that of a predator and a creep. Of course, who was I to judge first impressions when my judgments of Derek never turned out to be accurate whether he had lied to me or not.

"I don't feel the sa-"

"I'll grow on you, Chloe. Just give me a chance."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Liam's lips quirked in a sad smile, eyes flashing in hurt as I still didn't trust him. And I just felt so wrong for regretting making him feel this way. If anything, after all he's put me through, he deserved to be questioned.

"Figuring out that Souza had been lying to you must have been painful, Chloe. But, when he said the truth, about you not being his girlfriend, that hurt worse. I could tell." Liam said quietly. He released the swing and slowly grazed his fingers across my cheek, bright eyes holding mine mercilessly as he continued.

"The truth hurts, cutie. Even now it's conflicting you and all I ask is for a chance. I can't promise I won't ever hurt you, but I can promise that I'll never lie to you."

His palm settled against my jaw and I swallowed anxiously as his face drifted closer to mine. I was frozen, hypnotized and unable to break free. This wasn't fair. He couldn't do this, even if he was being honest. I was too vulnerable. Incapable of functioning correctly. If I were, then I would have run at the first sign of him.

_But maybe-_

His lips brushed mine softly and I gasped before he claimed them. I didn't stop breathing because I was surprised or taken off guard. Not because of pleasure or desire. Not because he left me breathless and dazzled.

It was because I knew, in that moment, that I was in trouble.

I broke contact and stuttered, "L-Liam-" But his mouth was against mine again before I could get another word out. I squirmed and brought my hands up to his chest, attempting vainly to push him away as his hand slithered around the back of neck and held me to him. When minor force didn't work I went into a full-on spaz attack.

I writhed against Liam's grip and with each break I breathed, "Stop it. Liam, don't. Get off-" But he wasn't listening and he never had the intention to.

_He played you, idiot!_

When Liam seemed to get ticked off by my struggles, he wound his free arm around my waist and ripped me from the swing. Before I could release the breath that escaped me, my back hit the floor of rocks, head smacking painfully against the gravel, causing lights to erupt and cloud my vision.

Blindly, I braced to fight or scream or do whatever it took to keep this from happening. Only, it took me a second- after the lights died down and my head stopped spinning- for me to realize that it wasn't.

I staggered to my feet, finding with unspeakable relief that I was free to do so. Grunts and growls filled the air around me, the world tipping slightly as I stood, head throbbing. I carefully gathered my bearing before assessing anything else, the fear of the idea that I might have a concussion overwhelming everything for the briefest moment before I heard, "Stay away from her," in the most threatening, darkest tone of a voice I loved more than I should have.

I spun back towards the swings, just as Liam stumbled up from the gravel, rocks embedded into his right arm and cheek as if he had been thrown to the ground. He chuckled lowly and unevenly as he faced the wall of flesh that stood between us. Tense, vibrating from head to toe, racking with heavy, angry pants, Derek's back greeted me as he became every meaning of the word barrier possible when Liam advanced.

Despite everything- against how much I wanted to hate him- my knees trembled with nothing short of relief.

"D-Derek-" I breathed, voice shaking though I had never felt more safe than I did in this very moment.

"Why don't you mind your own business, Souza? You said so yourself, she's not your girlfriend. If you're allowed to get around with every other girl in the neighborhood, why can't Chloe have a few options of her own?"

"There seems to be a common ground that you and Rachelle are failing to understand. I don't want anything to do with her. Not interested."

My gut clenched in uncertainty at Derek's words, leaving me at a loss of understanding. I had seen them. I heard them talking. Derek even said himself that he had no tie to me and that I shouldn't be concerned about what he did outside of our friendship. How could he state so factually that he didn't have the slightest interest in Rae? Was it just a ruse to rile up Liam's attitude?

"Is that so? Because Rae can't stop bragging about her hook up with the new guy, not to mention Chloe saw you two with her own eyes-"

"Sounds an awful lot like you talking a big game to Nate about Chloe, who happens to hang around my brother," Derek interrupted. "As for Rae attacking me this morning, the situation is pretty damn similar to you taking advantage of Chloe just a minute ago."

I shakily glanced between Liam and Derek, processing their argument, mind specifically reeling around Derek's statements in his defense. Rae attacked him? Just like Liam had just done? Suddenly, their moment from earlier that morning came rushing back in detail.

Derek's grip on her shoulders, arms flexed as if he were struggling to pry her off, shoulders hunched and tense as if he were uncomfortable.

"_I don't have time for this, Rachelle."_

"_Why?" Rae snapped, "Got to hurry and get back to babysitting your boss' little girl?"_

"_Don't," Derek replied, his voice low._ Could it have been depicted as threatening or angry?

"_I really don't understand why you continue to entertain her and her little fantasies. Why bother when you have something ten times better? Smarter, prettier and way more experienced. Name one thing Chloe has that I don't."_

Why hadn't Derek answered? If I knew him, which, before today's events, I thought I had him pretty figured out, I would have assumed that he could care less what Rae thought nor that she deserved for him to explain himself or his feelings.

I wanted so badly to believe this side of the story but, I just couldn't. Not entirely. Not while I had the slightest doubt as Derek had still lied to both Tori and Simon and then to me. Was the idea that Rae had jumped Derek plausible? More than that of Derek having a relationship with her, I'll admit. But what was he still so keen on hiding?

"I don't know what game you two are playing at," Derek continued as Liam's eyes darkened in disdain. "But you don't want to have me involved anymore. That includes dragging Chloe into it. I'm giving you one last warning. Don't start anything with me, or I'll make you regret it."

I assumed that Liam might have been smart and would have taken Derek's word into consideration. Instead he just stared at Derek, dark eyes calculating for a moment before he smirked.

"You think you have things all figured out, don't you? You just stroll into my neighborhood and think you can order me around, call all the shots as if you own the place?" Liam chortled, slowly sauntering towards Derek who took a more defensive stance. I whispered a silent curse, knowing this tactic for I had seen Liam use it before just as he was about to start a fight at school.

His plan was to psych Derek out. Make him feel inferior until Derek's efforts to defend himself became as much. And, knowing Derek, it wouldn't work. And Derek wasn't the kind of guy to let someone like Liam get whatever he wanted, especially if what Liam wanted was me. So he would fight. And he might get hurt.

I quickly dug into my pockets and ripped out my phone. I flipped it open in haste and punched three single digits into the receiver.

"Liam!"

The two about to face-off glanced in my direction, Derek looking at me for the first time since he had separated Liam and I. I ignored his, _'Get the fuck out of here, Chloe,'_ look and met Liam's perplexed eyes. I stepped forward and held up my phone for him to see, hopefully making the image as clear as the message.

"I'd think twice about picking a fight if I were you." I noted dryly. He quirked his brow and an almost disbelieving, crooked smile danced across his lips.

"What are you going to do, Chloe? Call your Dad?"

"No, the police. An eighteen year old attacking two minors? That doesn't really sound too good to me."

Liam scowled. First at me, then he tossed it over to Derek. Again, I kept thinking the best of Liam, figuring that he would just give it all up already and leave. Probably because I genuinely thought that the Liam I had seen alone existed somehow, even if it was all just an act. But, Liam did something else.

He took that last step he needed to be just a few inches away from Derek. I clutched my phone tighter, thumb hovering over the call button in waiting for Liam to throw the first punch because, after my threat, I knew that Derek wouldn't. Liam leaned into to Derek's ear, slowly and methodically and whispered something inaudible to my ears a few feet away.

Suddenly, Derek shoved at him and growled a string of curses. He recoiled and made to pounce again but I was there, grabbing at his arms from behind and shouting, "Derek, stop. He's not worth it."

Derek stopped, but he didn't relax. He was panting heavily and angrily and he hissed a low, rumbled, "Stay away from her," as I pulled him away, guiding him to the street that would lead us home. I didn't bother to look at Liam or bombard him with any more threats. I merely received his leering chuckles as Derek and I turned away, Derek's arm pulling me into him in the process, much like that of our first encounter with Liam. The only thing I fought about the physical contact was of how good and bad it felt all at the same time.

"What did he say?" I questioned, tossing _that_ part of our issues aside for later.

"It doesn't matter. The point was to get a reaction out of me and he did. Now he's going to make my life a living hell because he knows he has you as leverage."

"You don't have to protect me. What do you think you're going to do, retire from your current job and ask my Dad to enlist you as my bodyguard for school?"

"That's an idea." Derek muttered, still steamed but notably calming down as we made our way down Constance Ave.

"Derek, the only reason he involved you is because you got in his way. I know you don't want to have anything to do with it, so just stay out of it. I can take care of-"

"Chloe, stop." Derek snapped. He stopped us dead in our tracks and stood in front of me. Only, it was less of standing and more of a looming as if I were a little girl who had just stolen from the cookie jar and was about to get an ass chewing.

"First of all, you clearly can't take care of yourself. You have to understand that if I hadn't of shown up, Liam wouldn't have stopped. He would have hurt you, Chloe. You know that right?"

"Of course I knew that, I was getting ready to fight-"

"Getting ready to-" Derek interrupted again, tone incredulous and even unnecessarily angry. "You shouldn't have even been there in the first place. After our last experience there, what the hell had you been thinking, wandering the streets and the park at night? A lot worse than Liam is out here, Chloe-"

"I'm aware of that, but I wasn't exactly feeling well and who could blame me for not wanting to stay home by myself?"

"Chloe," Derek growled and I knew that my argument was mediocre. He was right and I hated that. But I had taken a stupid risk and could have gotten myself hurt. Much like I had done in trusting the very guy that stood protectively over me.

"Secondly," Derek continued, lower and surprisingly calmer. "I am involved in this because I don't want to see you get hurt."

He said this slowly, partially because he seemed to be trying to get it across as meaningful and sincere as he possibly could and also because he seemed almost bashful in admitting it. Like he was that guy who had first kissed me two weeks ago, treading uncharted waters.

"Believe it or not, I care about you-"

"That's the same thing that Liam said."

"Because Liam is a psychopath but I'm the one who's been trying to prove it to you for the last couple of months." Derek blurted heatedly.

I blinked, slightly taken aback by his abrupt confession. His green eyes glowed dangerously bright in the dark, emotions flitting through them unusually and too quickly for me to gather exactly what they meant. But still, the number one question reverberated through my brain, forever halted me from fully believing anything he said.

"Then why did you lie to me?"

Derek sighed and bowed his head confirming that he was, in fact, at fault here. He couldn't blame me for my concern and I was glad that he didn't fight it. However, he stepped back to my side, grabbed my hand and tugged at me until I followed him towards my house. After a minute of silence, where I was beginning to doubt that he was going to explain himself, Derek spoke.

"I was pissed, at first." Derek admitted eyes on his feet as we walked. "I just thought that you would know better than the idea that I was hooking up with Rachelle. But then I thought about what you had said and I knew that, though I never lied, I didn't exactly tell the truth."

"Derek, that doesn't make any sense-"

"Yes it does, Chloe. Do me this favor and hear me out, okay?"

I met his eyes that begged me to listen and, for the first time, my instincts were rooting in his favor. I nodded and allowed him to continue.

"I was heading back over to your place to explain everything that had gone wrong whether you were going to let me or not when I ran into Nate. He asked me if I had seen you and said he had stopped by your place a couple times to see if you were home. I asked him why he cared so much and he told me what Liam had planned."

"What?"

Derek's gaze become hard and his fingers tightened subconsciously around mine. What he said next came out with so much animosity and hate, I found myself just as frightened of Derek's demeanor as when he had reeled to fight Liam.

"He had everything plotted out, Chloe. Maybe not my own fuck up or Diane's involvement, that all just worked in his favor. But he wanted you to catch me with Rachelle, because he knew that would get you alone."

"Oh my God," I muttered disbelievingly. However, before I could dwell, Derek pressed on, surpassing the utter shock I was about ready to slip into.

"I need you to understand that none of that matters now, Chloe. I'm never going to let him get anywhere near you. Nothing like this will ever happen again, I swear-"

"I believe you," I whispered, testing the words. I felt Derek's gaze on me, but I was too busy focusing on how true my words rang. I did believe him. I knew he wouldn't let anything hurt me because I had just witnessed him put his own safety on the line for me. I wasn't fond of that idea, but I knew that there was nothing I could say or do that would change Derek's mind.

I trusted that he cared about me, and that made all the pain I had felt during the entirety of the day settle. Not diminish completely, just lesson. I met Derek's eyes and found him fighting off something akin to a relieved smile. I made to say more but Derek cut me off, shaking his head and gesturing off towards something down the street.

My brows knit together in confusion and I followed his gaze, surprised to find that we were simply a few feet away from my front porch. However, something sitting there on the top step stopped me in my tracks, sucking the breath from my lungs sharply and suddenly.

"The reason behind my, _'lies,'_" Derek mumbled, his fingers dancing in air quotes around the word, even with my hand still laced with his. I blinked, unable to believe my eyes before a light laugh escaped my lips. Soon, my laugh grew louder then became quiet sobs as I stared with watery eyes, dumbfounded.

"Patrick," I breathed, voice shaking with elation.

The courageous garden gnome from my childhood stared back at me stoically, his porcelain appearance glossy and healthy as if he had never been a pile of a million pieces.

"H-how did you-"

"Super glue," Derek deadpanned. His thumb rubbed over my wrist and I noticed that the padded texture was rough instead of soft and warm, as if he had fought with the blasted glue sticking his fingers together. My rollercoaster of emotions skyrocketed and I was laughing again, tears spilling freely now.

"I told you I was working on a project, but I said it was for Dad so that you wouldn't go snooping and ruin the surprise. The reason I lied to Tori and Simon was because they're both loud mouths and can't keep a secret to save their lives-"

Derek's explanation was cut short, my lips capturing his attention as they mashed against his own. He was still for a moment, surprised, but he quickly recovered and wrapped his free arm around my waist, pulling me close to him instantly. His hand still clasped around mine tugged at my arm, pulling it around himself briskly before releasing it and cupping my face. His tattered thumb grazed across my cheek and I smiled against his lips.

Derek had a similar reaction but refused to release me, not that I cared. It felt so incredible, safe, warm and oddly filling to be tucked within his arms that a volcano could have erupted and I wouldn't care. With everything that had passed, I would have thought to have been more emotionally exhausted if not tired of the drama. Only, the feeling of Derek's lips moving securely and confidently against mine pushed the fatiguing haze aside, almost eclipsing it as if most of the misunderstandings hadn't even happened. Derek's tongue sliding over my lower lip forever erased the image of Rae latching herself to his face from my mind. The feel of his large hand resting firmly against the small of my back provided the most security and safety from assholes like Liam than I could ever dream.

In all, I just imagined that the block party hadn't happened. That Rae had never gotten involved and that I never ran into a confrontation with Diane or Liam. I fantasized that Derek's surprise went on without a hitch and this was me thanking him for the heartfelt gift.

Derek seemed to be able to read all of this and his lips twitched against mine, his smile causing me to melt into a pile of putty in his arms.

* * *

><p><strong>One Month Later<strong>

With a mixture of annoyance and slight amusement, I placed my hand upon Derek's obsessively bouncing knee as we both sat on the two barstools that lounged against the island in the kitchen. He glanced up at me where his green eyes had been previously focused on the granite countertop in deep concentration.

He was anxious.

"Don't be nervous, Derek. He's going to love the yard." I stated, consoling him.

Derek released his signature, sarcastic snort and mumbled dryly, "That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what-" I began but was cut off by the sound of the front door swinging open and familiar grunts as the sound of tiny wheels rolling from the porch into the house filled the kitchen. Derek immediately stiffened and I rolled my eyes before calling out, "Hey, Dad. Derek and I are in the kitchen."

"Hey, guys!" Dad called from the entryway just before he slid into the kitchen through the swinging door, suitcase in tow. Derek stood up upon my father's entrance and I followed suit.

"How was your business trip," I asked in accordance to our usual routine whenever Dad made it back home. He smiled brightly, brown eyes crinkling as he dropped his suitcase and made his way over to me, throwing his arms around my shoulders in a gesture that was far from the norm.

I hesitated for a second, shocked really, but hugged him back nonetheless.

"My trip was excellent, thank you. And how was your summer, kiddo?"

"Productive," I stated simply, catching Derek's smirk as he processed my double meaning.

"Mr. Saunders, do you need any help with your luggage?" Derek asked politely and Dad turned to him as if he had completely forgotten that he was even there. He smiled whole-heartedly and nodded.

"Sure thing, Derek. My bedroom is right up the stairs."

Derek gave him a curt nod and made to grab Dad's suitcase. I jumped up and snatched it before him and said, "I've got it. Derek, why don't you show him the yard?"

Derek, frowned, facing me so that Dad couldn't see his expression. He seemed displeased and his anxious aura was beginning to suffocate the air.

Was he really that nervous over what Dad would think of the amazing job he's done?

"He just got home, Chloe. I'm sure he would like to-"

"Actually, I would love to see the progress you have made this summer, Derek. I'm sure that, with the state the lawn was in, there was a lot of work to be done, but I'm anxious to see the change." Dad spoke up and I gave Derek a, _'Ha,'_ smirk.

He closed his eyes and groaned almost inaudibly, then tossed me a glare before turning back to Dad and leading him to the sliding glass door. Just as they stepped out onto the back patio, I rushed up the stairs, tossed Dad's luggage onto his bed and raced to my room, instantly ducking beneath the windowsill and peeking out the screen-less window. I had purposefully left it ajar earlier for this very moment.

"Incredible." I heard Dad whisper in astonishment. I silently pumped my fist into the air as Dad praised Derek's handiwork, knowing confidently that he would love it. "It looks as if we had never let it go." He continued.

Derek quickly explained the process and informed Dad of all the extra expenses. I really didn't need to overhear all of these details as all I wanted was to know that Dad approved of Derek's hard work. However, just as I was getting up and going to close the window, their conversation turned into something I wasn't expecting in the slightest.

"-I couldn't have done it without Chloe's help." Derek stated rather simply. Though, I sensed a strange and alien inflection in his tone.

"I'm amazed. Not just by the job, but, as I have to admit, I was afraid that you and my daughter weren't going to get along when I saw how she first reacted to you."

"Chloe and I worked really well together, actually." There was a pause for a second and I shifted behind my curtains to hear better. Derek released an uneven breath before continuing and I wish I could have seen his eyes so that I could understand where he was going with this.

"I didn't expect to be speaking with you alone so soon, Mr. Saunders, but there is something that I wanted to run by you- about Chloe."

"What's that," Dad inquired curiously. I gripped my curtains uneasily, perplexed by Derek's actions and coming to the realization that Derek hadn't been nervous about Dad's reaction to the yard, but something else entirely.

"I've gotten to know Chloe as we've worked together and-" Derek coughed briefly, as if clearing his dry throat before pressing on in a rush. "-I'm in love with your daughter, sir."

A sharp intake of breath stabbed at my lungs and my heart leapt up to my throat. My grip on the curtains tightened to hold me stable as my knees quivered.

Derek loved me?

When Dad didn't reply, Derek continued, still speaking rather quickly as I knew he wasn't one to express these kinds of things to complete strangers.

"I haven't told her or made to act on it yet. I've been waiting so that I could ask your permission, Mr. Saunders."

"You want to date my daughter," Dad said, more in a tone that was reiterating Derek's intentions than asking.

"Yes sir."

For possibly the most agonizingly longest minute of my life, the two downstairs were silent and I mentally willed for my father not to screw this up. It's not that I thought he would do anything embarrassing, but- well, I honestly didn't know what he would do. I've never had to bring the _'boy issue,'_ home to Dad before because, well, there never seemed to be anyone I liked on this level. I've had crushes before, of course, but those didn't go anywhere.

Then Derek walked into the picture. I've known for a while that I liked him. _Really_ liked him and there were even times where I thought that my feelings for him were even more than that. But, did that mean that I was in love with him too? In retrospect, I've never liked someone else to compare my feelings for Derek too, whether they would be stronger or not.

I could imagine the symptoms of the emotion, having written it before in several screen writes. Fluttering heart, warmth swimming throughout the stomach and radiating from the tip of the toes to ends of one's hair, loss for words, shaking fingers, quivering knees, ringing ears and the list went on. Of course, these were mere physical attractions. Where did that leave the emotional aspects?

Trust, comfort, safety and confidentiality. There had to be that feeling where you could go to that other person with anything without the fear of judgment or disloyalty. The comfort of each other's company was important as it was directly related to the chemistry. Being challenged and supported all at once and having the chance to be yourself and never having to change. These, I felt, were the reasons to be in love with someone.

And I could check every single one off of the list when it came to Derek.

So, was I in love with him?

It was probably too soon to tell, but I was a hundred percent willing to find out.

"Well," Dad sighed finally and I could practically feel the awkward tension a story above them. "I suppose that's what happens when I leave two teenagers alone for a couple months." I could imagine him eyeing Derek speculative and warily, contemplating, much like he would do during the many times I had seen him at his home meetings while making a business deal. I was nearing the urge to just blurt something along the lines of, _'Get on with it already and give him your damn permission!' _Though, I would have agreed to date Derek whether Dad gave his blessing or not, but I rather not have to go behind his back about it.

"Seeing what you have done here, I know you're fit to take care of Chloe. I'll warn you now, though," Dad said and I could hear the smile in his voice. "She's going to be a lot more work than merely repairing an old man's yard."

"Oh Dad," I muttered with a role of my eyes. I frowned slightly when I heard Derek chuckle lightly. I knew half of it was due to relief at how accepting Dad was to the news, but I knew he was also agreeing with my father.

"I'm aware," Derek rumbled.

"Just, don't tell her Aunt Lauren. She'd have a hay-day," Dad laughed and I decided that it was about time that I interrupted their little powwow as Dad was slowly beginning to prove that he was the embarrassing type.

Dazed in a giddy stupor, I bounced down the stairs and made my way to the back patio, finding Derek and my Dad shaking hands. They both glanced up at me as I pushed open the glass door and Dad coughed awkwardly.

"I'm going to go find my wallet. It's buried in that damn suitcase somewhere. I'll be back in a bit to write you a check, Derek." Dad mumbled quickly. He patted my shoulder and winked fairly conspicuously before he went inside.

As I turned back towards Derek I collected every elated and anxious emotion coasting through my body and put on my best poker face. I wasn't supposed to hear his conversation with Dad after all.

"So? What did Dad thin-"

"Chloe," Derek interrupted, giving me a stern look. I blinked quizzically, confused by his tone.

"What?" I asked honestly.

Derek sighed and slowly closed the gap between us, his jade eyes disapproving, though, he was unable to hide the dark shade of mirth swimming within them. I almost had the instinct to back up in caution, wary of his abnormal mood.

When Derek was close enough, he slipped an arm around my waist and lowered his lips to my ear, his breath tickling my cheek as he said, "You were spying again."

"W-what?" I squeaked incoherently, partially dazed by Derek's actions- the symptoms of love coursing through me in overdrive- and partially surprised that he had caught me. Again. "I-I wasn't-"

"Liar," Derek whispered smoothly, his lips like a feather as they grazed across my earlobe.

"H-how did you-"

"I could hear you," Derek chuckled. "You were scolding your Dad."

"That was out loud," I gasped, replaying my- what I had thought to be- inner statements for Dad to allow Derek and I to date. "Did my Dad hear?"

Ever-so-slightly, Derek shook his head, his lips moving against my jaw now and I released a relieved- and very content- sigh.

"So, how much did you hear," Derek breathed against my neck. I closed my eyes blissfully and nearly forgot what he was asking me.

"Dad's comment about you dating me caught my attention." I was so grateful that I was able to lie without stuttering. I didn't want Derek to know that I had heard his confession. I wanted him to be able to say it to me as if I were hearing it for the first time and, technically, I would be. Hearing, _'I'm in love with you daughter,' _doesn't really count.

Not in my book, at least.

Derek looked up at me then, his head bowed, green eyes smoldering beneath lush, black eyelashes. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and worried that he could hear the nervous pattering of my heart.

"In that case, I'm taking your threats to disown your father as a yes."

"Geez, how much did I actually say out loud?"

"Enough. You're not a very good stalker," Derek mused.

"I-I wasn't stalking!" I blurted, cheeks flaming. I frowned when all Derek did in response was smile in a, _'whatever helps you sleep at night_,' fashion. "And I didn't say yes to anything. You're only making assum-"

Interrupted again, I allowed this time to slide as Derek's lips molded against mine, his free hand tangling itself into my hair and his arm around my waist pulling me close. I didn't have to _say_ yes to Derek's unspoken question because, as he kissed me, I kissed him back and that was all the confirmation that he needed.

It was all _I_ needed to know that there was something more here than just a fling or a backyard, summer romance. This was a guy that loved me and I was pretty sure that I loved him back.

Of course, summer was quickly coming to an end. The only way to test this theory was to see how our separate lives and school would affect it.

After all, we would both be starting the new year within the week and, honestly, I couldn't wait. Senior year was going to be amazing, as long as I had Derek at my side.

**WHEW!**

**Took long enough, right? So, is anyone else catching the hint there at the end? **

**Review PLEASE and let me know what you guys thought of the fic and your thoughts on the foreshadowing there at the end. ;P**

**I'll try to start working on Beautifully Cursed again, but I'm starting a new continuous fic for my neglected fandom so I can't promise too much.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed! :) **


End file.
